


In the Wasteland

by Manuelita_la_Tortuga



Series: In the Wasteland [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 3, Fallout 4
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, Awkward Flirting, Canon-Typical Violence, Deviates From Canon, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff, Literal Sleeping Together, Slow Burn, Spoilers, asexual sole survivor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2018-12-05 01:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 75
Words: 137,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11567247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manuelita_la_Tortuga/pseuds/Manuelita_la_Tortuga
Summary: Nora escapes Vault 111 and sets out to find her son, but finds much more along the way.In the wasteland, the land laid wasteFruit of knowledge has a bitter tasteBut the bliss of ignorance can never be replacedIt's lost in the wilderness--Children of Eden





	1. Out of the Vault

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing new. Just consolidating works.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sole Survivor reflects on her first few days out of the vault.

Nora looked across the bridge leading out of Sanctuary Hills trying to screw up her courage to leave the relative safety of her old home. In her mind, it had been less than seventy two hours since the bombs fell. She had been cryogenically frozen against her will, her best friend was dead, shot right in front of her, her infant son ripped from his dying arms. She had also learned that over two hundred years had passed while she was frozen in the vault, though it had seemed no more than a few minutes.

The world she had woken up to still felt like a nightmare. In that time she had already encountered cockroaches the size of a cocker spaniel, flies bigger than her head, mosquitoes big enough to puncture an artery, a two-headed cow, drug addled human raiders, and worst of all, a monster that Preston had called a Deathclaw; an enormous lizard-like demon-headed creature that, even with a minigun had taken a full clip to kill, and whose attacks, even in power armor, had left her bruised and battered.

Other than her missing son, her only remaining tie to the time before the bombs fell was a robot, whose personality subroutines seemed to be on the fritz. Still, she admitted to herself, his idea to go to Concord to try to find other survivors who might be able to help her find Shaun hadn’t been a complete disaster. 

She had found Dogmeat, a friendly German Shepherd, who had proven a capable helper in her battle with the raiders. And she had found Preston Garvey and his group of settlers, survivors from some kind of massacre in Quincy. 

After helping them defeat the raiders that had had them pinned down in the old Museum of Freedom, she had come back with them to Sanctuary Hills and helped Sturges, who seemed to be a bit of a genius when it came to fixing things, make the place livable for the five survivors. 

She had taken the four younger ones back to the vault and between the five of them, they had dragged several mattresses and bed frames back to the settlement for everyone to sleep on. The settlers had all crowded into the old Rosa house.

She herself had spent her first night in the little root cellar/fallout shelter behind the house two down from her old home. She couldn’t bring herself to sleep in her old home, and there was a makeshift bed in the shelter, which suited her well enough. The second night she set herself up in a corner of the house above the little shelter.

Though they hadn’t seen any sign of Shaun, the settlers had been able to give her a suggestion of where she might get help, a settlement called Diamond City, in the heart of downtown Boston. It was actually Mama Murphy who had made the suggestion, and though the woman was obviously high as a kite, she had also made some comments that hit the mark, so Nora was willing to take her advice, crazy as the woman appeared.

So, now she stood at the edge of the bridge, trying to convince herself to head back out into the unknown. It was her only chance at getting Shaun back, and she was better prepared now than she had been when she headed to Concord. She had looted and repaired some leather armor from the raiders that had been trying to kill Preston’s group—she had never liked power armor, she always felt on the verge of a panic attack while wearing it, and had decided to leave it behind—and she had a choice of weapons and a fair bit of ammo. 

She was leaving Dogmeat behind with the group from Concord. Though his presence was comforting, and he was ferocious in battle, he didn’t understand the concept of stealth, and she hoped to rely much more on that than on firepower.

She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet a couple of times, took a deep breath and stepped forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first attempt at writing. Please be gentle. :)


	2. The Story of the Century

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet Piper and Piper meets the Sole Survivor.
> 
> Lot's of in-game dialogue in this one.

Piper Wright walked thoughtfully down the steps of the old stadium towards Publick Occurrences, ignoring the cacophony of the Diamond City marketplace. Under normal circumstances, it would have taken her a lot longer to calm down after a blow-up with the mayor like the one she'd just had—he had tried to have her banned from the City, again, for accusing him of being a synth replacement in the latest issue of her newspaper. But now she was planning out a whole new spread for the next issue of the Publick, based entirely around an interview with the vault-dweller she'd run into at the gate. 

"Piper, you're back!"

Her sister's voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, kiddo. How are the paper sales?"

She gave Nat a quick hug. The little girl put her hands on her hips and glared sternly at her older sister, looking much older than her ten years.

"Well, the presses are getting overloaded. That motor is going to go soon if you don't replace it."

"Ah, you've been saying that for weeks and the old girl still keeps cranking. Stop worrying so much." She tousled her little sister's hair and turned away. "I gotta head into the office. You start whistling if you see any angry politicians coming our way."

"Why, is something wrong?"

Piper mentally berated herself for mentioning that last to her sister. Nat worried too much as it was.

"Piper?"

She pretended not to hear and walked into Publick Occurrences, her office and home. She sat at her desk, booted up the terminal and started typing in some preliminary questions for the vault-dweller. Fish out of water stories were always popular with her readers, and it was always good to get a fresh perspective on the Commonwealth. A short time later, she heard a soft knock on the door, and opened it to find the vault-dweller on the doorstep.

"Glad you dropped by. You holdin' up, Blue?"

The woman grimaced and shrugged one shoulder, not meeting her gaze.

"Fenway Park's become a shantytown, I saw a cow with two heads. It's just... been a lot to take in."

"I would imagine the Commonwealth takes some getting used to for someone from a vault. Yeah," Piper quirked an eyebrow at her as the woman looked down at her clothes, "the blue jumpsuit's a dead giveaway. So here's the deal. I want an interview - your life story in print. I think it's time Diamond City had a little outside perspective on the Commonwealth. You do that and, I'll tell you what, I'll come with you. Watch your back while you get used to the world above ground."

"What kind of interview is this going to be?"

"I ask you who you are, get your opinion on life out there, and maybe load up a few tough questions and keep it interesting."

She saw the woman hesitate.

"All right, Piper."

"Good. Let's get down to business." She gestured her guest to a seat, grabbed a pen and notepad from the coffee table and perched on the other end of the couch, facing her. "So, I know you're from a vault. How would you describe your time on the inside?"

Blue sat with her elbows on her knees, worrying at a hangnail on her thumb. 

"My family and I were frozen. I didn't spend much time in the Vault."

Piper had been ready to scribble some notes, but now looked up in shock. 

"Wait, they boxed you up in a fridge? The whole time? Are you saying you were alive before the war?"

Blue laughed bitterly and spread her arms.

"Behold! I am immortal!"

This was gold! A fresh pre-war perspective. Sure, there were pre-war ghouls around, but they'd _lived_ through the past two-hundred-plus years, and memories fade.

"You know, I guess you kind of are, aren't you?" She gasped as a headline idea hit her. "Oh my god. 'The Woman Out of Time'" Piper quickly wrote that down. "So, you've seen the Commonwealth, Diamond City. How does it compare to your old life?"

Piper continued taking notes as Blue talked about the world she remembered, becoming animated enough to lean back in her seat and actually look at Piper occasionally. Her comments were surprisingly hopeful. Piper was very good at reading people - you had to be to be a decent reporter - and she didn't think this was an act the vault-dweller was putting on. Cynicism didn't seem to come naturally to her, which in the world Piper had grown up in was like a breath of fresh air.

After a few more questions about Blue's life, Piper decided it was time to ask the harder questions.

"Now, the big question. You came all this way looking for someone. Who is it?"

Blue seemed to collapse in on herself, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees again, one hand partly covering her face. Her voice was quiet.

"I lost family, ok? I'm trying to get one of them back."

Piper felt for her, but needed to know more. 

"What's their name, Blue? Who are they?" She asked as gently as she could.

There was a long pause before Blue finally responded.

"My baby, Shaun, was kidnapped. He's not even a year old."

Piper reached out to put a hand on Blue's shoulder, then hesitated and pulled back.

"The parent after the missing child." She sighed. "As heartbreaking today as it ever was. Tell me, do you suspect the Institute's involved?"

Blue looked up at her.

"The Institute? Who are they?"

"That, Blue, is the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth. No one really knows who or where they are, but their handiwork is all over. Synths. Synthetic people. Sent from their hidden labs to do the Institute's dirty work. Sometimes, they even replace a person with a synth double. A little covert agent no one would ever suspect. Now, not everything that goes wrong has the Institute behind it, but there's always a chance. That's why I'm asking."

Blue shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know."

"No one ever does. That's what makes them so scary. For the last part of our interview, I'd like to do something different. I want you to make a statement to Diamond City directly. The threat of kidnapping is all but ignored in the Commonwealth. Everyone wants to pretend it doesn't happen. What would you say to someone out there who's lost a loved one, but might be too scared, or too numb to the world, to look for them?"

Blue spoke softly, with gut-wrenching sorrow apparent in her voice, and yet, her message was, again, hopeful. Piper kept her focus on her notepad to hide her expression. A reporter was supposed to remain impartial, but Piper was struggling to maintain her composure. As Blue finished, she cleared her throat.

"A strong note to end on, Blue. Thanks. That's everything. It's gonna take some time to get this all together, but I think your story is going to give Diamond City plenty to talk about. Anyway, I agreed to come with you, right? Watch your back? Just say the word when you're ready. I can't wait to see where this story goes next."

Blue looked at her dubiously.

"You sure you want to travel with me?"

Piper smirked.

"Well, it's that or get back to writing the paper. I guess the paper can wait." 

"Well, OK then, sure. Uh, hey, can I ask you some questions now?"

"Sure thing, Blue. Shoot." 

"On my way here, I ran into some Hulk-looking guys. What are they?" 

Piper blinked at her blankly.

"Some what, now?"

"Big, green, angry dudes?" 

"Oh, Super Mutants. Yeah, you'll want to stay away from them. They'll kill anything that isn't another Super Mutant pretty much on sight."

Blue nodded, and quirked her lips in a little smile.

"I figured that much out when they tried to kill me pretty much on sight."

Piper laughed. OK, Blue obviously had a sense of humor hidden under all that sorrow and heartbreak.

"I actually need your help, Piper, if you're serious about coming along with me."

Blue actually met her gaze for more than a fraction of a second now, and Piper almost wished she hadn't. The intensity of that gaze made her shiver and now she was the one who looked away, hiding the action by leaning over to the coffee table to drop off the notepad and pen.

"Yeah, I meant it, Blue. What's going on?"

"The guard who wouldn't let you in, Sullivan, was it?"

When Piper nodded she continued.

"He told me that there was a detective in town who specialized in missing people, but when I went to his office, his assistant, Ellie, told me that he's gone missing himself."

Piper looked back at her, startled. "Nick's gone missing?"

Blue nodded. "Apparently he'd been tracking a missing woman and was last known to be going to a vault under Park Street Station."

Piper blew out a breath and rolled her eyes. "Oh, Nicky, what have you gotten yourself into this time." She looked back at Blue. "Nick's one of the few friends I have. I'd help you find him even if I weren't interested in seeing the rest of your story. But, Park Street Station? That's right on Boston Common. People who go there tend not to come back. I'm not saying I won't come," she added quickly as she saw Blue's face fall, "I just think it would be a good idea to wait till tomorrow morning. If we're going to go to Boston Common, at least let's do it in daylight, OK?"

Blue nodded, relieved. "Ellie did say he's been missing for a couple of weeks. I guess a few more hours won't make much difference at this point." She got to her feet. "Is there a place I can rent a bed for the night around here?" 

"Yeah, the Bobrov brothers at the Dugout Inn have a few rooms they rent out."

Blue raised an eyebrow. "They turned one of the dugouts into a hotel?" 

"And bar," Piper answered.

Blue shrugged. "I guess it's no weirder than anything else I've seen so far." 

Piper gave her directions to the Dugout Inn and walked her to the door. Just before closing it, she called out. 

"Hey, Blue! What's your name?"

Blue turned to look at her. "It's Nora. But Blue's fine. I haven't felt much like myself lately." She gave Piper a little smile, and then continued toward the Inn.


	3. Unlikely Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our plucky heroines save the detective.

It had taken them over an hour to make the trek from Diamond City to the Boston Commons. Piper had led them north from Diamond City towards the river, to avoid the pockets of Super Mutants around the Boston Public Library and Trinity Plaza.

When Piper had offered to travel with Nora to watch her back and get her up to speed on life in the Commonwealth, she had expected to have to do a lot of the former. She had been disabused of that notion shortly after they left Diamond City. In a junkyard just outside the city, they had been set upon by a pack of mongrels, but before Piper had had a chance to do much more than reach for her pistol, Nora had drawn her weapon - a .44 pistol, beefier than Piper's preferred 10mm - dropped to one knee and popped off three perfect shots. Piper, herself, took out the last of the mongrels and then turned to Nora, speaking in an almost accusatory tone.

"I thought you said you were a lawyer?"

Nora looked up from reloading her weapon. "I was." 

"Then where did you learn to do..." Piper gestured at the dog carcasses, "that?"

"Two years of mandatory military service. We were required to sign up as soon as we finished high school." She finished reloading her pistol, popped the cylinder back into place and holstered it. "I hated it at the time, but it's coming in handy now, even if I am out of practice."

Piper snorted. "That was you out of practice? Good grief!"

Nora shrugged. "Nate was..." Her eyes clouded over and she swallowed a couple of times before continuing. "Nate was always a much better shot, even before he joined the military full-time." 

Piper patted her tentatively on the shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short, Blue. That was some amazing marksmanship, there." 

She had the satisfaction of seeing Nora's eyes light up. "Yeah?"

She grinned. "Yeah." 

As they continued their journey, Piper reflected on the strange combination of strength and fragility Nora displayed. She had to admit to herself that she found her very appealing. 

The rest of their journey was relatively uneventful. They had run into some raiders that had taken up residence in an old clothing store, but were able to avoid other trouble pockets. In addition to being an excellent shot, Nora had also proved to be adept at finding cover and moving quietly, which contributed to the relatively uneventful journey. 

Nora paused across the street from Boston Common and spent a few moments surveying the area before turning to Piper.

"So, the people who don't return from here, does anyone know what's doing it? Because it looks pretty quiet to me." 

Piper shook her head. "All I've heard is that people go missing, but not in a 'kidnapped by the Institute' sort of way."

Nora looked back out over the Commons. "I don't see anything, but let's keep a low profile, just in case." She drew her pistol and started across the ruined street to the subway entrance.

The tunnels and vault beyond were practically crawling with Triggermen. When they came across the first few, Nora pulled Piper back into the previous corridor. 

"What can you tell me about those guys? Can they be reasoned with?"

Piper almost laughed out loud. "No, Blue. They're triggermen." Seeing Nora's blank look, she elaborated. "Flunkies, minions. You'll find them working for various mob leaders. The tend to shoot first and ask questions later." 

Nora nodded. "OK. I guess we'll have to try to sneak past them." She suddenly smirked and said, "Be vewy, vewy quiet. We're hunting wabbits." Then laughed quietly at the expression on Piper's face. "Sorry, I guess that doesn't translate. Let's go."

They had mixed results. They were able to avoid the triggermen in some rooms completely, while in others, they found themselves engaged in a pitched firefight. Piper blessed Nora's accuracy more than once. She considered herself a decent shot, but knew she wouldn't have made it through the vault alive on her own.

As they came out into a large chamber, the atrium of the vault, they heard a taunting voice. 

"How you doin' in there, Valentine? Feelin' hungry? Want a snack?"

Piper gripped Nora's arm when she heard the response.

"Keep talking, meathead."

She leaned close and whispered, "That's Nick." 

Nora nodded. She stopped in the entrance to the atrium and looked around. A triggerman was standing a level above them at the far end of the room, talking to someone through a round window. Nora nudged Piper and pointed to the left. Piper saw a set of stairs leading up and nodded.

They crept through the room, using the conversation between Nick and the triggerman as cover for any noise their steps might make, and as they reached the top of the stairs, Nora held a hand up, dropped to one knee and took a bead on the gangster. She took a breath and pulled the trigger. The man fell midsentence. 

Piper heard Nick call out, "Hey, you. I don't know who you are, but we got three minutes before they realize muscles-for brains ain't coming back. Get this door open." 

Piper rushed to the terminal by the door. "It's locked."

"You'll have to hack that terminal to unlock the door." Nick called out.

Nora had paused at the gangster's body and was rifling through his pockets. She pulled out a scrap of paper and gave a bark of laughter.

"Guess no one taught him that writing down your password is a bad idea," she said, joining Piper at the terminal and leaning over her shoulder to enter the code. Piper clicked the option to override the door controls, and the door beside them hissed open. 

Nora stepped through the door and then stopped short as Nick walked forward into the light. Piper heard her breath catch. Oops, looked like Ellie hadn't mentioned to Nora that Nick was a synth, and she hadn't thought to do so either. Nick was smooth as ever.

"Gotta love the irony of the reverse damsel-in-distress scenario. Question is, why did our heroine risk life and limb for an old private eye?"

Nora stuffed her hands in her pockets, appearing wary. "My son Shaun is missing. He was kidnapped, but I don't know who took him, or where they went."

"A missing kid, huh? Well, you came to the right man, if not the right place. You got troubles, and I'm glad to help. But now ain't the time. Let's blow this joint."

Piper stepped forward now and hugged the synth. "Good to see you're still alive, Nick."

"Piper. Thanks for the rescue."

Piper watched Nora as they followed Nick back out into the atrium. She seemed to be fighting with herself. After a moment she seemed to come to a decision.

"Nick, why do you sound like Humphrey Boggart?" 

Nick laughed, seeming surprised. "I didn't know there were still any non-ghouls around who knew who that was."

Nora shrugged. "It's a long story."

Nick nodded. "So's my answer. Let's talk once we're safe."


	4. On the Trail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines find a clue and call upon a furry friend for help.

It was mid-afternoon when they got back to Diamond City. Piper was still amazed that they were alive. She still couldn't quite fathom how Nora had managed to talk them out of the vault with Nick, without a single shot being fired. Not only had she convinced Skinny Malone - Skinny Malone, of all people! - to let them go, she had convinced the girl Nick had gone searching for to go back home to her parents. Nora must have been a force to contend with in the courtroom.

After a brief pit stop at Power Noodles for a very late lunch, she and Nora made their way to Nick's office. They found Ellie grilling Nick on the events of the past few weeks. Nick seemed glad of the interruption.

Piper stood inconspicuously in the back corner of the room as Nora sat in the client chair and started to answer Nick's questions. Piper's heart bled for Nora as she heard the full story. The sorrow in her voice, as she spoke of the death of her husband and the loss of her son was raw, an open wound.

The realization that the kidnapper had been living in Diamond City took them all by surprise. It made Piper sick to think she had walked past the man, and probably even exchanged greetings with him without realizing what sort of scum he was.

She followed along behind Nick and Nora as they headed for the house this Kellogg man had been living in. When Nick declared that the door was locked, and the lock was beyond his skill to pick, Piper offered a suggestion.

"The mayor keeps a copy of every house key in the city. I hate to admit it, but I think we should go talk to him, or at the very least, his assistant, Geneva."

Nora agreed, and she and Piper headed towards the mayor's office, but when they reached the external elevator up to the office, Piper hesitated. 

"Hey, Blue, maybe I should stay here. You'll probably get a better reception without me. McDonough despises me at least as much as I despise him, and I don't really get along with Geneva either."

Nora looked at her musingly for a moment. "You really meant it when you said Nick was one of your only friends, didn't you?"

Piper nodded. Nora touched her shoulder as she walked past her to the elevator.

"OK, Piper. I'll be right back, hopefully with the key."

Piper paced up and down the walkway, glancing up occasionally as she waited for Nora to return. In less time than she'd expected, the elevator started back down. Once she could see Nora again, she knew by her expression she'd been successful. 

"How'd you manage it?"

Nora preened. "I have mad persuasive skills." She grinned at Piper, a smile that lit up her face entirely, and for a moment banished the sorrow from her eyes. Piper grinned back.

"Nicely done, Blue. Let's go tell Nick."

Searching Kellogg's house, which was smaller than Publick Occurrences, and sparsely furnished, didn't take very long. The evidence they needed was found in a hidden room, unlocked by a button under the desk. Now they just needed a way to track Kellogg to his current location.

"I have a dog," Nora said tentatively. "He might be able to follow the trail. But he's back at Sanctuary Hills. I'd have to go get him."

"The sooner the better." Nick responded. "While the scent is still relatively fresh."

Nora nodded and headed for the door.

"Hey, Blue, wait." Piper hurried after her and caught up with her outside the door. "How long did it take you to get here from Sanctuary Hills?"

"Um, about eight hours, I think."

Piper put a hand on Nora's arm to stop her. "It's going to be dark in about two hours. Don't you think we should wait till morning?"

Nora looked at her, anguished. "We're so close, Piper."

"I know, Blue," she said gently, "but you won't be any use to your son if you get yourself killed trying to find him."

Nora brushed a hand across her eyes and nodded. 

"You're right, of course."

"Come on. You can crash on my couch if you want, instead of going back to the Dugout."

Nora smiled. "Thanks, Piper."

They set out for Sanctuary Hills early the next morning. Nora led the way, reversing the path she had taken in to Diamond City two days earlier.

"Hey, Blue? How long has it been since you woke up?"

"Uh..." Nora did a bit of counting on her fingers. "Six days. Wow, feels like a lot longer."

"OK, I know what you've been up to these last three days. What were you doing the first three?"

Nora glanced over at her. "Padding out the interview?"

"No!" Piper felt herself blush. She had, after all, told Nora that she wanted to travel with her so she could see how her story wound up. But the more time she spent with her, the more she just wanted to get to know her. In her line of work, friends were hard to come by, and this woman pulled at her like no one she'd ever known before. "I'm just curious. My insatiable curiosity is one of my biggest failings, right up there with pushiness and not knowing when to back off."

"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought her back."

"Sorry, what?"

Nora grinned. "It's an old saying. Satisfying your curiosity is like scratching an itch."

"Yeah, exactly! Anyway, we've got a long walk ahead of us, and I was just looking for something to pass the time."

Nora nodded. "True enough. And if you get bored with my story, we can always play I Spy."

"What's I Spy?"

"There's no I Spy in the wasteland? Oh, man! OK, here's your next headline - 'Woman Out of Time revives ancient children's game.'"

Piper giggled as Nora drew the headline across the air in front of her with her hands. This was the most relaxed she had seen Nora in the short time she'd known her.

"But I will answer your question first, so you can scratch that itch."

"Only if you want to."

"It's no big secret. And you'll probably hear about it anyway when we get back to Sanctuary Hills."

"There are other people there?"

Nora nodded and started to explain about Codsworth, the trip to Concord, the besieged settlers and the Deathclaw attack.

Piper's eyes widened in shock. "You took on a Deathclaw by yourself?"

"No! Preston was shooting at it from up on the balcony, and the last couple of raiders also distracted it for a bit." Nora grimaced at that last memory.

"Still, that's really impressive. I don't know many people who've survived a Deathclaw attack, even in power armor."

Nora blushed and shrugged. "It was a group effort."

They continued chatting as they walked. Nora talked a bit about what the area had been like in her day. The journey was remarkably peaceful, perhaps because Nora had cleared the way on her trip in to Diamond City a couple of days earlier and the hostiles hadn't yet had a chance to retake the territory. 

They reached the footbridge in to Sanctuary Hills around mid-afternoon, and were greeted by a black and brown streak, hurtling towards them. Nora went down on one knee to greet it. "Hey, Dogmeat. Did you miss me? How would you like to go for a long walk, huh, boy?" She ruffled his ears and the dog panted happily at her.

Nora stood and glanced over at Piper. "Come on. I'll introduce you."

Piper looked around curiously as they continued down the street towards the sound of hammering. They tracked the sound to the back of a yellow house in the center of the neighborhood. 

"Hey, Sturges." A young man with impossibly tall hair turned from where he'd been nailing a scrap of corrugated metal onto a hole in the wall of the house.

"Hey, you're back! Ya have any luck?" 

Nora nodded. "On both fronts. I have a lead on my son, and I found you some of the parts you wanted." She knelt on the ground and started digging through her pack, pulling out some circuit boards, a couple of desk fans and various other bits and pieces. "Will this do you for now?"

Sturges nodded approvingly. "Ya did good." He seemed to notice Piper for the first time. "Hi, there."

"Oh, sorry." Nora stood up. "Piper, this is Sturges. He's a mechanical genius." The young man grinned sheepishly. "Sturges, this is Piper Wright. She writes the paper in Diamond City." She laughed suddenly. "Piper Wright writes. I only just noticed." 

Piper rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I've never heard that before."

Nora grinned. "Sorry, Pipes." She turned back to Sturges. "We just came to pick up Dogmeat. We'll be heading back to Diamond City first thing in the morning, but let me know if I can help you at all the rest of the day. I just need to drop some stuff off first and check in with Preston."

"Alright, sounds good. I'll catch up with you later." 

They headed inside the house where they were greeted by a sour voice. "So, you're back. You'd better not have led any raiders here."

Piper looked around and saw a man and woman sitting at a table. An older woman was dozing in an old armchair on the opposite side of the room. Nora headed over to the table, placed her pack on it and started pulling out food this time - packages of Instamash and Mac and Cheese, cans of beans and some fresh food, a couple of mutfruits and carrots, some corn. Good grief! How much stuff had she been carrying? Nora looked back at Piper as she worked.

"This is Marcy and Jun Long, and that's Mama Murphy in the chair. This is Piper."

Marcy huffed. "Another mouth to feed." 

"Don't worry, Marcy. We'll be leaving again tomorrow morning." She turned to Jun. "D'you think you'll be able to start a garden with these?" She gestured at the fresh food and he nodded silently. She patted his shoulder gently. "I'll leave you to it, then." 

She took Piper's elbow and led her back outside. She didn't start speaking until they were out of earshot of the house. "The Longs lost their son recently. Marcy's been coping by snapping at everyone. Jun seems to be sinking into a deep depression. I'm hoping having something to do will help him." 

She led Piper to another yellow house across the street and dumped her pack on a counter inside. Piper followed her example. "This is where I've been staying. We can put one of the spare beds in here, or you can help yourself to any of the empty houses."

"This'll be fine. To be honest, I'd probably be too freaked out to sleep in one of those other houses alone."

Nora smiled. "Yeah, I get that. I slept in a root cellar my first night out. I figured I'd at least be safe from the roaches in there. OK, just Preston to see. He'll probably be patrolling the perimeter."

She led the way back out of the house and looked up and down the street, pointing when she noticed a figure cradling some sort of long weapon. "There he is." She started towards him. "Hey, Preston!"

The man stopped and turned towards them. He looked younger than Piper had expected. 

"You're back! How'd it go?"

"I have a lead. Oh, uh, this is my friend Piper. Piper, Preston Garvey. Piper owns the paper in Diamond City." 

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Preston touched the brim of his hat. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "I don't mean to be rude, but could I have a private word with you?" 

Piper took the hint. "I'll go see if I can help Sturges." 

Nora had been right about Sturges' mechanical talents. She found him surrounded by the disassembled pieces of the junk Nora had brought him and several guns. He explained that he was trying to build a machinegun turret. Piper helped as much as she could, which was mostly by handing Sturges tools and holding things in place as needed. Piper had always felt fairly confident in her mechanical abilities - keeping a printing press running was no easy feat - but this man blew her out of the water.

Nora joined them about twenty minutes later, looking thoughtful. 

"Everything OK?"

Nora nodded at her. "Yeah, just thinking."

They spent the rest of the afternoon and evening patching holes in the main house, letting Sturges get on with the turret construction. Piper was exhausted by the time night drew in, and was glad to fall into that spare bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my headcanon, the Sole Survivor learned all the settlement building stuff from Sturges.


	5. On the Scent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroines track the evil kidnapper down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "If you have to look along the shaft of an arrow from the wrong end, if a man has you entirely at his mercy, then hope like hell that man is an evil man. Because the evil like power, power over people, and they want to see you in fear. They want you to know you're going to die. So they'll talk. They'll gloat.
> 
> They'll watch you squirm. They'll put off the moment of murder like another man will put off a good cigar.
> 
> So hope like hell your captor is an evil man. A good man will kill you with hardly a word.”
> 
> \--Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms

Dogmeat trotted ahead of them just fast enough that Piper was having to alternate between a fast walk and a jog every few steps. She was beginning to wish she had worn an extra layer, though. The weather had suddenly turned colder, and the stiff breeze was making her ears ache.

She, Nora and Nick had been following Dogmeat for most of the morning now. Kellogg seemed to have taken a fairly leisurely path to his destination, leaving enough evidence behind to keep them from losing hope in Dogmeat’s abilities. 

Their path had been tracking steadily westward, following the old train tracks for a long while. They’d had to deal with some wildlife along the way, but nothing the four of them together couldn’t handle.

They were on a road now, heading uphill, and Piper’s legs were starting to burn. Three consecutive days of walking were starting to take their toll, and she was lagging behind the others. Nora turned to look at her and noticed how far back she’d fallen. She leaned over to speak to Nick, who stopped, then stuck her finger and thumb in her mouth and gave a piercing whistle to call Dogmeat back. She started back down the hill towards Piper. 

Before she could say anything, they heard Nick call out.

“Hey, look at this!” 

He’d gone a little further ahead and was crouched at the side of the road.

Nora smiled at her. “We’ll stop for a rest and bite to eat once we’ve seen whatever it is that’s got Nick so excited.” She patted her on the back and started jogging back towards Nick. Piper watched her disbelievingly. How did she still have so much energy? She sighed, and kept plodding up the hill till she got close enough to see what they’d found. 

There was evidence of an attack: a dead body, a destroyed protectron, a few crates, and where Nick was crouching, a badly damaged assaultron robot. 

Nora was trying to interrogate it, and Piper got there in time to hear it say, “He killed us.”

“We’re still on track,” Nick said. “Hopefully not much farther.”

“We’re going to take a break for a few minutes, Nick. Catch our breath.” Nora looked around distastefully. “But not just here. Let’s go to the other side of those overpass pillars.”

They sat down on a convenient fallen log and Nora pulled out a couple of cans of purified water and some radstag jerky, and handed half of it to Piper. 

Piper chewed dejectedly. She was starting to feel like they’d have been better off if she hadn’t come along. They’d have been able to move faster without her.

“Penny for your thoughts? Or I guess these days it would be a cap for your thoughts.” Nora smiled at her.

Piper sighed.

“What’s wrong, Pipes?”

“I shouldn’t have come. I’m just slowing you down.” She gnawed off a bit of jerky and chewed on it morosely.

“Hey, no, don’t say that!” Nora put an arm across her shoulders. “You’re the first friend I’ve made out here. You say you don’t have many friends? Well, right now, you’re my only friend, so I’m glad you came.”

Piper leaned into the side hug and smiled slightly. “Thanks, Blue.”

They finished the jerky and Piper pulled out a packet of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes and shared them with Nora. After a few minutes’ rest, they got Dogmeat back on the scent and continued the search.

Less than half an hour later, Dogmeat led them to the door of Fort Hagen.

“Is this it, boy? Is this where he went? Good boy!” Nora reached into her pack for a bit of the jerky and rewarded him with it. 

“Well, we’re not getting in this way,” Nick said. The doorway was thoroughly boarded up. Nora backed up and to one side, until she could see the side of the building, and suddenly pushed Piper, and pulled Nick back in towards the walls. 

“There are turrets on the roof. At least two on that side. Let’s try the other side, but stay close to the walls.”

At the back end of the north wall, they found some scaffolding leading up to the roof, and as they started up it, Nora pointed out more turrets on this side of the roof. It took a lot of crouching and sneaking around scaffolding and rooftops, but they were able to destroy all the turrets without getting injured in the process. Then, assuming that the scaffolding was there as more than just a way to maintain the turrets, they split up to try to find another way into the building.

“Blue, over here!” Nora and Nick came jogging over to where she had found a hatch. They heaved it open, revealing a ladder leading down. Nora hesitated, then turned to Dogmeat and dropped to one knee in front of him.

"Dogmeat, go home. Go to Sanctuary. Find Mama Murphy. OK, boy?" 

The dog cocked his head as he listened, then gave a low "buf" and trotted off.

“OK, everybody ready?”

Piper and Nick nodded, and they headed into the building. They found themselves in an office area, and from nearby, could hear stilted voices. 

“Synths!” Piper hissed.

The next couple of hours were a mix of sheer terror and adrenaline for Piper. The place was packed with synths, turrets and traps. If terror could be monotonous, that’s what it became. Find synths, kill synths, try not to get killed by synths, go to the next floor, repeat.

As they got closer to the Command Center, they started to hear a voice on the public address system. Nora looked up sharply the first time and looked back at Nick and Piper.

"Kellogg."

As they continued along, he switched from taunting her to trying to persuade her to leave. Piper saw Nora's jaw clench and her shoulders stiffen each time they heard his voice. They finally made it to the Command Center, and Kellogg seemed to give up. He sighed.

"OK, you made it. I'm just up ahead. My synths are standing down. Let's talk."

They heard the door in front of them click open and walked through the final hallway towards the Command Center. The darkened room suddenly flooded with light as they stepped through the doorway, revealing Kellogg, and several synth bodyguards. 

“And there she is, the most resilient woman in the Commonwealth.”

“Where is my son?”

“Shaun’s safe at home. In the Institute.”

Piper put a hand to her mouth. It was one thing to suspect the Institute had been involved, but to hear it from the kidnapper himself?

“The Institute? Well, I’ll find him, no matter where he is. Nothing will stop me.”

Kellogg looked irritated. “God, you’re persistent. But I’ll give you credit. It’s the way a mother should act. The way I’d be acting if I were in your place, I’d like to think. Even if it is useless. But I think we’ve been talking long enough. We both know how this has to end. So… you ready?”

Nora’s voice was cold. “Oh, I’m ready. Question is, are you?”

She raised her pistol and took a shot just as Kellogg disappeared. He must have had a Stealth Boy! The next few minutes were chaos. Piper and Nick focused on the synth bodyguards and once they’d killed all of them, turned to find Nora grappling with the still invisible Kellogg. As they watched, Nora did something Piper couldn’t quite make out, and, with a thump, there was Kellogg on his back on the floor, visible once more. Nora raised her pistol, and shot him between the eyes.

Then she walked to a corner of the room, and vomited. Piper came up behind her and squeezed her shoulder, offering her a can of water from her pack. Nora took it with a nod of thanks and rinsed out her mouth.

“We should look around.” Nick spoke up from behind them. Nora took a deep breath and nodded, returning to Kellogg’s corpse and starting to look through his pockets. She came up with a scrap of paper and rolled her eyes.

“Does no one in the post-apocalypse know about password safety?” She went over to the terminal and typed in the password, then spent a few minutes reading. Nick and Piper moved to read over her shoulders.

“So, he wasn’t lying about the Institute,” Nick, said. 

Nora clicked a command to open the security doors and then exited the terminal. She pushed away from it in frustration. 

“It doesn’t get us any closer to the Institute though.”

Piper shook her head. “Sometimes they snatch people in the middle of the night. And sometimes they leave old synths behind to remind us that they’re out there. But to this day, there’s one thing nobody really knows...”

Nick finished her sentence. “Where the Institute actually is, or how to get in.”

“Exactly. If anyone would have known, it would have been him, right? The person who just handed them Shaun. A murderer and kidnapper gets his brains blown out by an avenging parent.” She sighed. "It'd be a great ending if we didn't still have the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth."

Nora sighed and walked over to sit on some steps. “He didn’t exactly give me a chance to bring him in alive.” Piper moved to join her, and Nora scooted over a little to make room for her.

“Gets his brains blown out… huh… his brains. You know, we may not need the man at all.”

Piper frowned. “You’re talking crazy here Nick. Got a fault in the old subroutines?”

“Look, there’s a place in Goodneighbor called the Memory Den. Relive the past moments in your mind as clear as the day they happened. If anyone could get a dead brain to sing, it’ll be Doctor Amari, the mind behind the memories.”

Nora sighed. “I hope you’re right, Nick.”

"I guess we’re going to need a piece of Kellogg’s brain. Enough gray matter to bring to Amari and find out if this is going to work.”

Piper grimaced. “Jesus, Nick, gross! Seriously?”

Nora swallowed hard and then stood up and walked back over to Kellogg’s corpse. Piper forced herself to follow. She couldn’t bring herself to touch the man, but the least she could do was offer her friend moral support. She watched through one half-open eye as Nora cracked the skull open, then quickly turned away as she felt her stomach begin to rebel. She took several deep breaths.

“Hey, look at this.”

Piper was still trying to convince herself to open her eyes again, when Nick responded.

“Cybernetics, huh? We may have just won the lottery.”

Piper’s eyes blinked open in surprise and she glanced over at the object in Nora’s hand. It was definitely not organic.

“Well, shall we head to the Memory Den?” Nick asked.

“You go ahead, Nick. I need some time.”

“Sure thing, kid. I’ll meet you there.” He headed out of the Command Center, leaving Nora and Piper alone. With Kellogg’s corpse. Piper swallowed hard and turned so she couldn’t see it. Nora was wrapping the component in a scrap of cloth and stowing it in a corner of her pack, then she picked up the can of water she had discarded and started washing her hands. Piper took the can from her so she could pour it over Nora’s hands for her.

Nora gave a sudden little laugh. “Out, damned spot, out, I say” She stopped laughing and pressed a hand to her face. “I could really use a hug right now.” Her voice was choked. Piper immediately opened her arms and pulled her close. Nora was tense, her breathing irregular, and Piper could feel her trembling. They stood like that for several minutes, as her breathing slowly calmed, her muscles relaxed and her trembling stopped. Finally she pulled away.

“Thanks, Piper.”

Piper squeezed her arms before letting go. “I’m always available for a hug. You ready to head out now?”

Nora nodded. They found an elevator behind the now-open security gates, and rode it up to the roof. As they exited, they saw an enormous airship, flying past. A magnified voice could be heard.

“People of the Commonwealth, do not interfere. Our intentions are peaceful. We are the Brotherhood of Steel.”


	6. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We delve into the mind of a killer.

Piper chewed on the end of one thumb, and swayed slightly from side to side, bouncing on her toes. Her two best friends were putting themselves in danger, and all she could do was watch. And OK, it wasn't physical danger, but Doctor Amari had admitted she had never done anything like this before and didn't know what the consequences would be for them.

And all Piper could do was stand behind Doctor Amari, watching the images that came up on her terminal. At least the process seemed to be working. They had worked their way through several of Kellogg's earlier memories, and now were getting closer to the present day. 

Piper watched as Kellogg killed several synths and got himself hired by the Institute. And then… Piper gasped and covered her mouth when she realized what she was seeing. Oh, no. She watched in horror as Kellogg killed her friend's husband. And then, there was Nora, screaming, pounding on the front of her pod, her face anguished. Piper's eyes filled with tears and she choked back a sob.

She continued watching, through the revelation that it had been ten years since the kidnapping, and that Shaun was no longer a baby, and the astounding realization that the Institute had perfected teleportation to travel in and out of their base. Well, that certainly explained why absolutely nobody knew where it was.

As the last memory faded, Doctor Amari began to wake Nick and Nora. Piper watched Nick long enough to see that he appeared all right, then turned to Nora's pod. She moved to crouch next to it as it opened. Nora lay with one hand covering her eyes, her chest heaving. 

"Blue?"

Nora reached her free hand out towards Piper's voice, and when Piper took her hand, held on tightly, like a drowning person grasping a piece of driftwood. Piper covered Nora's hand with both of hers, rubbing her thumb up and down it. She didn't say anything. She didn't think words would help at this moment, so she just made sure her friend knew she wasn't alone. 

After a few moments, Nora lowered the hand from her eyes and sat up. Her eyes were dry, but Piper saw the same anguish in them that she had seen in Kellogg's memory.

"Take it easy." Doctor Amari told her. "How are you feeling?"

Piper helped her out of the pod. When she tried to let go of her hand, Nora clutched hers more tightly.

"I have this… burning feeling inside my skull. It's like it's on fire."

"It's not surprising. All the synapses in your brain have just been pulled apart, connected to someone else, and then pulled back together. I injected you with a large stimpak while I was pulling you out. That should ease things. Are you ready to talk about what happened in there?"

"That scientist Kellogg was supposed to track down, Virgil. We need to find him."

"You're right! A rogue Institute scientist could answer all kinds of questions. Where did the memory say he was? The Glowing Sea? That doesn't make sense. No one goes there. Not even if they were desperate."

"Why? What makes the Glowing Sea so dangerous?"

"The name says it all. Radiation. So much that nothing there could possibly live. Nothing… pleasant. The Glowing Sea can kill a man in seconds."

"How do I fight that much radiation, doctor?

"There are chemical compounds. Rad-X, Radaway. You'd need as much as you can carry. Maybe more. A sealed environment suit would be great, if you could find one. Or maybe… one of those suits of power armor? That would be perfect."

Nora nodded. "Thanks, doctor. I'll find a way to get through the rads. Don't worry."

"By the way, I unplugged Mister Valentine first. Removed the implant while you were waking up. He's waiting for you upstairs.

Nora nodded, thanked the doctor again, and led Piper up to the main floor. They found Nick sitting near the entrance. 

"Hope you got what you were looking for inside my head. Heh, I was right. Should've killed you when you were on ice."

Nora staggered back a step, as if she'd been slapped. Piper gaped at Nick. That had been Kellogg's voice.

"Kellogg? Is that you?"

Nick's yellow eyes blinked. "What? What are you talking about?"

Nora swallowed audibly. "You sounded like Kellogg just then."

"Did I? Amari said there might be some 'mnemonic impressions' left over. Anyway, I feel fine. Let's get going, or I could head back to Diamond City, since you've already got company?"

Nora looked over at Piper and nodded. "I'll see you around, Nick. And, thanks."

They exited the Memory Den to find that it was full dark. 

"Is there a place that rents rooms around here?"

"Yeah, the Rexford, just down there."

When they reached their room, Nora started pacing up and down, speaking quickly, an almost manic energy driving her.

"I have that set of power armor back at Sanctuary Hills, but I only have one fusion core, and it was at half charge when I found it. It's nearly drained now. I'll have to find or buy a few more, and then I'll need to find or buy a bunch of Rad-X and Radaway, and more stimpaks wouldn't hurt. I should probably stock up on ammo too..."

Piper watched her for a few moments, then stepped in front of her.

"Blue, stop!"

Nora jumped, as if she hadn't even noticed her till she spoke. 

"Blue, you just watched your husband get murdered again, your son get kidnapped again, you just killed the man who took your family from you." She put her hands on Nora's upper arms. "It's barely been a week since you lost them, and you haven't stopped. Have you given yourself any time to mourn?"

Nora shook her head, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "I can't, not till I've found Shaun."

"Blue, he's not a baby anymore. It's been ten years." Piper knew she was being cruel, but she feared what would happen if her friend kept bottling up her grief.

Nora's face crumpled, and she started to sob. Piper put her arms around her and held her tight, rubbing a hand soothingly up and down her back. She heard Nora speak through her sobs.

"He looked like Nate."

Piper held Nora until her sobs abated, then led her to the bed.

"Come on, it's been a really long day. You need some rest."

Nora nodded and lay down, then turned to look at her. "Don't leave?"

Piper lay down next to her and took her hand. "I'm not going anywhere.


	7. Public Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines go to the library

It had been about three weeks since they had trawled through Kellogg's memories. Nora had turned scavenger and merc-for-hire in her quest to get the supplies needed for the journey into the Glowing Sea. They had had several arguments in which Nora had insisted she would be taking the trip alone, and Piper had insisted, just as vehemently, that she would not. She had finally gotten Nora to confess that the reason she insisted on going alone was because she didn't want to put Piper in further danger. Piper reluctantly admitted, to herself if not to Nora, that her particular skill set and the Glowing Sea didn't exactly match and agreed to stay behind, so long as Nora took someone else, _anyone_ else with her to guard her back.

'Anyone else' had turned out to be a cocky young former-Gunner turned merc named MacCready. They had found him in the Third Rail in Goodneighbor. Nora had hired him on spec and taken him on a few jobs to assess his abilities, allowing Piper to return to Diamond City for a while to check in on Nat and catch up with the paper.

Nora returned a few days later, laden down with the strangest collection of junk Piper had ever seen, everything from microscopes to teddy bears.

"Blue, how are you carrying all that? You're going to cripple yourself!"

Nora dumped the packs and grinned. "I was only carrying half of it. MacCready had the rest."

"How's he working out?"

Nora nodded. "He's at least as good as he says he is. Maybe better." She sighed. "We're going to have to get our hands on a second suit of power armor, somehow. I've been putting out feelers, buying lots of drinks for the traveling traders, seeing if they have any ideas."

"And?"

"Nothing solid yet, but I did pick up another job. Are you busy? I was hoping you'd come with me."

Piper flushed with pleasure. She missed her friend when she wasn't around, and it was nice to know that Nora missed her too.

"I have a few loose ends to tie up, but I could leave tomorrow morning. Would that work?"

Nora nodded, appearing relieved, as if she'd been uncertain of her reception. "I need to see how much of this I can trade to Arturo and Myrna, so I wasn't planning on starting back out right away."

\+ + +

Piper looked dubiously at the imposing stone building in front of them.

"I still can't figure out why you were so eager to take on this job." She muttered, half to herself. "Seriously? Taking on a pack of super mutants to return an overdue book to a library that's no longer in service?" She rolled her eyes and glanced over at her companion. Nora at least had the grace to blush and shrug apologetically.

"To be perfectly honest, I probably have as many fond memories of this place as Daisy does. My parents used to bring me here on the weekends for story-time when I was little. And later, I'd come by after school to do homework, or research. I spent less time here as I got older; I was more likely to be at one of the law libraries, but it still bugs me to think of super mutants infesting the place. Besides, we might find some useful books that'll help with rebuilding."

Piper shook her head and sighed.

Nora reached out and touched her forearm. "Pipes, you don't have to come in with me, if you don't want. I'll sneak in and take them out quietly."

Piper snorted. "First of all, you're not leaving me behind, Blue! Secondly, that plan will work until the first mutant sees you, and then all hell's gonna break loose. You need backup. I'm coming."

Nora grinned, her face lighting up, and Piper felt her heart flip-flop. The things that smile did to her. No one else could have convinced her to come along on this hair-brained escapade. It was only recently that Piper had started to admit to herself that she had begun feeling more than just friendship for Nora, but since Nora treated everyone with the same easy friendliness, and Piper didn't even know if she was attracted to women, she tried to tamp down her growing attraction, not wanting to ruin the best friendship of her adult life.

"Thanks, Pipes." 

Piper looked back at the building to hide how flustered she'd become. “Well, the front doors are boarded up. Any ideas on how else we can get in?”

Nora nodded. “There are two other entrances that I know of: through the Copley Street Station; and an employee entrance round the back. I think I'd rather try the back entrance first. Goodness knows what might be nesting in the station.”

“Good call.”

They headed around to the back of the building. Nora nodded at a super mutant corpse past the door they were heading for. "Looks like someone's been doing our job for us. Reckon we'll be lucky enough to find the ones inside dead too?" 

Piper quirked an eyebrow. "We've never been that lucky so far."

Nora grinned. "Now that's a true statement." She turned to the door and tried the handle. Locked. As she reached into her pocket for a bobby pin and her little screwdriver, a chipper female voice spoke from the intercom next to them, making them both jump.

"Welcome to the Boston Public Library. The Library is currently closed. Only employees and those with a scheduled appointment may enter. All other guests are invited to return during normal business hours."

Nora looked at Piper and cocked her head to the side. "Worth a try, right?” She turned back to the intercom. “I work here, let me in."

"Please provide your six-digit employee ID number." 

Nora glanced at Piper again, who shrugged back. "Yes. Right. My ID number is, um... 123456?"

"Welcome, Mr. Mayor. Please enjoy your visit. Mind the mess. We are currently undergoing maintenance." They heard the lock click.

Nora giggled. "Oh my god, I can't believe that worked! That is the worst password ever!" She started laughing so hard that she had to lean against the wall to support herself. Piper found herself sympathy-giggling. After a few moments they managed to compose themselves. Nora wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “You ready?”

Piper drew her 10mm pistol, checked the clip and then nodded. "Let's do it."

Nora waved her to the side of the door, then quietly pushed it open. After assessing the room beyond for a few moments, she nodded at Piper. “It's clear. But our helper's been here too.”

As Piper followed her into the building, she saw what Nora meant. The entryway was littered with super mutant bodies. And as they entered the large room beyond, they found their helper. Someone had activated the library's protectrons, and set up a few turrets. 

Piper took a deep breath. “Good thing the mayor had a crappy password. I don't think those protectrons would be so calm if we'd broken in instead.”

She glanced over at Nora and found her leaning against the doorway, patting the wall next to her. 

“You two need a little time alone?” she quipped.

Nora flashed her another grin, making her insides stutter again. Get a grip, Wright!

“The library's protecting itself.” She gave the wall one last approving pat that made Piper wish she were that wall, and then started into the larger room.

“Well, that could have been much worse. Maybe we're going to get lucky after all.” Piper cringed at the unintended innuendo as soon as it came out of her mouth. “I mean...” Nora glared at her and interrupted her attempted course-correction.

“Dude! Are you trying to get us killed?”

Piper blinked at her in confusion. “I... what?”

“Rule number one of being in a horror movie is you never split up. But rule number 2 is that you never, ever comment on how well things are going. If you've jinxed us, if we die here, I'm blaming you.”

Piper stared at Nora's pointing finger, opened her mouth to respond, frowned, closed it, opened it again and finally came up with, “Huh?”

Nora chuckled at her expression and leaned over to bump shoulders with her. “Never mind. I guess horror movie tropes are another thing that didn't survive the apocalypse.”

Piper shook her head. “I understood most of the words you said, but I still have no idea what you're talking about.”

Nora laughed again. “I'll explain later. Let's look around.”

They continued across the larger room, Nora pausing every few steps to relieve a super mutant of some ammo or to examine the remains of a book, sighing disappointedly at most of them, but tucking one or two into her pack.

When they reached the far end, Piper headed for the double-doors on the right. “They're chained up from the other side. We'll have to find a different way through.” She looked back at Nora, and for a moment, couldn't find her. “Blue?”

“Over here.” Nora had found a terminal in the corner and was tapping at the keyboard. Piper left her to it, and headed for the smaller door at the end of the room. 

“Oh my god!” Piper raised her pistol and looked around for a threat.

“What?” There was nothing, and Nora was still engrossed in the terminal. Piper re-holstered her weapon. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong, but there may be a lot right, if we're lucky. There was a group that came here to digitize the remaining books.” Nora glanced up at the turrets and robots. “They're the ones who activated the library's defenses. The person who wrote this, calls themselves Curator Givens, says they were getting attacked by super mutants more and more frequently. Some of the team got killed, and some left. They weren't able to finish the job. In the last entry they ask anyone who finds this to finish for them.”

Piper raised a hand. “Whoa, whoa, hold on, Blue.”

Nora shook her head and smiled. “Don't worry, Pipes. I don't intend to stay here and finish digitizing the collection. I just want to find the data room they mentioned and get a copy of what they'd already done.”

Piper nodded, relieved. “OK, then. Any ideas on where to start?”

Nora reached behind the terminal and patted around until she found a key. “Well, they left some supplies in a storage room back there.” She pointed at the smaller door Piper had been heading for. “Let's see what they left and then we can continue...”

“En-ga-ging ho-stile tar-get.”

“Shit! Blue, company!” Piper dove behind the cover of an old filing cabinet, silently thanking the missing team for enabling the defenses. She drew her pistol and clicked off the safety. The turrets had spun up and were sputtering away, the protectrons warning the invaders of their imminent death. By the sound of it, there were at least half a dozen super mutants in this pack and, yes, there it was, the belling of at least one of their hideous hounds. She poked her head around the cabinet and started taking shots. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Nora doing the same from behind the cover of the desk. 

The turret nearest her suddenly exploded flinging shrapnel everywhere and Piper dropped back behind her cabinet with a cry of pain. 

“Blue, I'm hit! Shrapnel in the arm. My aim's gone to hell!”

“Stay down, Piper! There's only one left.”

Seconds later, the remaining turret wound down and the protectrons fell silent. Piper tried to see the damage to her arm and winced at the sharp pain as she tried to move it.

“Hold still, Pipes. Let me see.”

Nora knelt next to her and gently examined the wound. “Shrapnel's still in there. I'll have to take it out before we can do anything else.” Nora held her arm with one hand and poised the other above the wound. “This is gonna hurt. A lot. You ready?”

Piper took a deep breath and nodded. She let out a muffled groan as Nora quickly yanked out the offending piece of metal. 

“OK, let's get your coat off.” Nora reached down to untie the belt and helped Piper slip the injured arm out of the sleeve, muttering, “sorry, sorry” every time Piper winced. After cleaning the area with a scrap of cloth and some purified water, she took another look at the wound. 

“Really should have a couple of stitches, but that's beyond my skill, so...” She pulled out a strip of plastic on which were stuck several rows of butterfly bandages. She used several to tape the wound shut, then placed a cloth bandage over the top. “OK, just a stimpak now...” 

Nora opened her pack to look for one, then suddenly looked back up at Piper.

“Shit! Do you hear that?” Piper tried to still her ragged breathing enough to hear what Nora was talking about. Turrets and protectrons winding up again in the distance, deep voices challenging them, the belling of a hound.

Nora quickly pulled out a stimpak. “They must be over by the Copley Street Station entrance.” She jabbed the needle into Piper's arm. ”How's that?”

Piper moved her arm a bit. “Better, I can move it. Thanks, Blue.”

“Look, why don't you stay in that storage room.” Nora held up the key. “You can lock yourself in.”

“Hell no, Blue. I'm coming with you. Besides, you said rule 1 was never split up.”

Nora grinned and squeezed her good shoulder. “Using my own words against me, huh?”

Piper grinned back, taking Nora's proffered hand and letting her pull her to her feet. “I'm a reporter. Words are my best weapon.”

“Fair point. Do you need one of these?” Nora held up a syringe of med-x. Piper grimaced and flexed her arm again. 

“I'd rather not. I don't like how they make me feel.”

Nora looked at her intently for a moment before nodding and putting the syringe back in her pack. “OK. You ready?”

Piper nodded. 

“There was a hallway at the other end of the entryway. Let's try that way, since you said this door is blocked.” 

They headed back across the room and down the hallway, the sounds of battle getting louder by the step. They found the battling super mutants on the landing of a grand staircase leading up from the subway entrance. From the meager cover of the hallway, Piper and Nora started taking shots at the mutants. This was a larger group than the one that attacked them in the other room. One by one, the protectrons and turrets fell, leaving the two women to take down the remaining three super mutants alone. 

Piper took a deep breath, and leaned against the wall, sliding down it to sit. Nora looked at her in concern. 

“You ok, Pipes?”

She nodded. “I just feel a little shaky.”

Nora nodded. “Have some gumdrops or better yet, a Nuka Cola. The sugar will help with the shock and the lost blood.”

Piper looked at her dubiously. This wouldn't be the first time Nora had teased her about her sweet tooth, but Nora looked perfectly serious. She knelt down in front of her and started looking through Piper's pack. She pulled out a Nuka Cola, popped the cap off and handed it to her.

“I'm gonna go scrounge for ammo. You stay here and sip on that. Yell if you need me.” She patted Piper's knee and then headed down the steps, pausing at each body to loot anything useful. Piper scooted around to the top of the steps so she could watch Nora work. She saw an enormous lion statue on either side of the landing.

“You think there might still be real lions out there somewhere?”

Nora glanced up at her, and then looked at the statues. 

“Maybe. I doubt the wildlands of Africa were major targets in the war. They're probably in better shape than we are here.”

Nora started back up the steps. “I'm done here. I'd still like to try and find that data room, if you're up for it. Or I could come back for it later.”

Piper shook her head. “Let's do it. There's no guarantee it would still be intact the next time we came. And anyway, you were right, the Nuka Cola did help. I don't feel as shaky anymore.”

She reached out a hand, and Nora pulled her to her feet.

“Hopefully that's the last...”

Nora held up a finger. “Uh-uh! Rule number 2, Pipes. Don't say it!” Nora tried to hold a serious expression, but her lips were twitching, and finally she started chuckling. “Come on, let's go back to that storeroom the log mentioned.” She put an arm around Piper's shoulders and led her back down the hallway.

The small door led to a room lined with consoles. There was a second door to the right, which led to the storeroom Givens had mentioned in the log. There was a dead man just inside the door - Givens himself, perhaps. Nora unlocked the storeroom and poked around in it for a few moments.

“A few chems, a bit of ammo and a stealth boy. Couple of guns too, but they're in bad shape. No entry to the data room from here. Anything out there, Pipes?”

Piper had been leaning against one of the consoles watching Nora. Now she jumped guiltily and started looking around the small room.

"Um… no, I don't… wait. Hey, Blue, look. Is that a door behind that large console?”

Nora came out of the storeroom and looked where she was pointing. She smiled approvingly.

“Well spotted, Pipes!” 

Piper felt her cheeks heat up at the compliment and headed towards the console hoping Nora hadn't noticed her blush. She pushed at it experimentally with one foot. “It's pretty heavy.”

“Let me try first. I don't want you to strain that arm. If I can't manage it alone, you can try pushing with your good side, but let me try first, yeah?”

Piper nodded and stepped back. She felt herself start blushing again as she watched Nora's muscles strain against the fabric of her jumpsuit. She was almost relieved when the console provided a distraction by shifting an inch or so.

“It's moving!” 

Nora grunted and redoubled her efforts. Once she got it started, the console started moving more easily, and shortly, the doorway was unblocked. Nora leaned against the console, panting.

“I guess they didn't have a key,” she took a deep breath, “for this door, so they had to barricade it.”

She pushed off from the console and reached for the handle, then paused. 

“Uh, better safe than sorry, yeah?” She motioned Piper to the side, opened the door quickly, then peeked in. “Looks ok.”

She walked through, and Piper followed. The room was smaller than the last, and empty, but for a single terminal on a desk with a chair in front of it. Nora sat down at the terminal and started tapping at the keyboard. Piper came to look over her shoulder. A prompt on the screen asked if they wanted to “compress the data to a holodisk”. Nora grunted in satisfaction and clicked yes. The terminal whirred for a few seconds and then ejected the holotape. Nora reached for the tape and looked up at Piper with a triumphant grin. 

“Bless you, Curator Givens.”

Nora's grin was infectious, and Piper couldn't help but grin back. 

“OK, are we done?” 

Nora nodded. “Yeah, let's not press our luck. Don't want to have to deal with a third wave of super mutants.”

She tucked the precious holotape into one of the pockets of her jumpsuit, hoisted her pack onto her shoulders and led the way back to the employee entrance.

“Oops, nearly forgot about the overdue book.” Nora paused in front of a red terminal in the entryway and went through the process of returning the book.

“Alright, let's go.”

Nora looked up at the sky as they exited the library. 

“Crap. We were in there longer than I thought. Sun's nearly down.” She glanced at Piper. “Do you want to head home? Diamond City's closer than Goodneighbor. We could get a good night's sleep and then go back to Daisy first thing tomorrow.”

Piper shook her head. “Nah, I want to see this through. We can always crash at the Rexford if it's too dark to get home.”

“OK, then. Goodneighbor it is.”

The trip to Goodneighbor was relatively uneventful. They were able to avoid most of the trouble areas, and successfully sneak through the ones they couldn't avoid. They came through the door just as the sun's light faded from the sky. Daisy was still at her counter. Nora went up to talk to her, and Piper collapsed onto a bench nearby, suddenly too tired to move. Stimpaks were a wonderful invention, and her arm felt a lot better, but it takes energy to heal, and she had just about used all hers up.

“Piper?”

She blinked and looked up. Nora was looking down at her in concern. 

“You ok, Pipes? You look pale.”

“Yeah, day's just catching up with me.”

“Come on. Let's get you settled at the Rexford, then I'll go get us some food from the Third Rail.”

Nora helped her up off the bench, put a supporting arm around her waist and walked her around to the hotel. Piper lagged behind as Nora made the arrangements for a room. 

She'd always hated feeling helpless. Since her father's death she'd always had to be in charge. But somehow, with Nora, she didn't mind so much. She always felt safe around Nora, even when things were at their most dangerous.

She didn't realize Nora was back till she felt a hand on her back.

“Couple flights of stairs. Can you make it?”

Piper looked at her owlishly.

“Uh, yeah.”

By the time they made it up to the third floor room, Piper was flagging. She set herself down on the bed fully clothed. 

“Nope, come on. Boots and coat off at least, Pipes. Come on, sit up. That's it.”

She lay back down as soon as her coat was off, and didn't even feel Nora taking off her boots and draping a sleeping bag over her.

She woke a few hours later. As she looked around the room, recalling the events of the day, she saw Nora sitting on the couch with her pip-boy in her hands. 

“Find anything useful?”

Nora jumped and clicked the pip-boy off, looking for all the world like Nat, when Piper caught her doing something she shouldn't. Piper couldn't help it, she started giggling. 

“What were you reading? Porn?”

Nora looked offended.

“What? No!”

Piper laughed harder. Nora grinned sheepishly. 

“I just… it's not something useful. I found a copy of my favorite novel. I didn't think I'd ever get to read it again”

Piper sat up, still grinning. 

“What's it about?”

“It's a love story. A double love story, really. Sisters. But it's also pretty funny. The author had a keen eye for human nature.”

Nora's face lit up as she started talking about the novel. 

“A love story, huh? I didn't take you for the sappy type.” Piper grinned to show she was still teasing. 

Nora stuck her tongue out at her. “Shut up, it's good. C'mere, I'll show you.” She patted the couch next to her and Piper moved to join her. Nora leaned against her so they could both see the pip-boy's screen, not seeming to notice how Piper's breath hitched at the contact. Nora quickly scrolled back to the beginning of the book, and began reading aloud.

“Chapter 1. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not strictly canon. I pulled in a bit of cut content on this one. I also may have gotten a little carried away on the length.


	8. Emogene Takes a Lover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines look for a missing woman

Nora got a message from Preston Garvey the next day and headed off for Sanctuary Hills. She returned to Diamond City about a week later and found Piper setting type for a new issue of her paper. Piper looked up with a smile and put down the tray of type pieces.

"You're back!"

Nora grinned at her.

"Am I?"

Piper rolled her eyes.

"What have you been up to? Anything interesting?"

"Just helping Preston add a new settlement to the network, little farm south of here called Somerville Place. They were having trouble with a nearby feral ghoul infestation. And I got a merc job with this weird scientist, Jack Cabot. Have you heard of him?"

Piper shook her head.

"What sort of merc work?"

"Only thing I've done for him so far is track a missing courier. But now, apparently his sister's run away from home, and his mother's frantic. Only lead I have is that she's been known to hang out at the Third Rail in Goodneighbor, so that's where I'm heading next. I actually came to see if you'd like to come with me?"

Piper agreed cheerfully, and they set out the next morning. On the trip to Goodneighbor, Nora explained that she had actually been hired by Jack Cabot's head of security, a ghoul named Edward Deegan, and that Emogene, the sister, had a tendency to disappear every so often.

"Jack didn't seem particularly worried about his sister," Nora explained, "but their mother was distraught, so Edward sent me out to look for her. And, oh man!" she put a hand on Piper's arm to make her point, "you should see their house! It's at least four hundred years old, and it looks as pristine as the day they finished building it." 

Piper's curiosity was piqued, and she hoped Nora would take her along the next time she had to go to the Cabot house.

They entered the Third Rail, and while Nora went up to the counter to talk with Charlie, the bartender, Piper paused to listen to Magnolia, who was in the middle of a song. As far as Piper was concerned, Magnolia was the bright spot in any visit to Goodneighbor. The woman had a gorgeous voice, though Piper found her personality overwhelming and had found herself falling over her words the one time she had spoken to her. It was embarrassing. Words were her passion and when she'd needed them most, they had abandoned her. She found herself blushing at the memory.

She was spared her blushes when Charlie called out to Magnolia, interrupting her song. Piper stepped closer to Nora as Magnolia approached. 

"What's the matter, honey? Don't tell me you didn't like the song."

Nora smiled easily at Magnolia. "I loved the song. It was perfect."

"Real great set this evening, ma'am. Of… of songs… that is. Uh… Is it warm in here?" God, not again! Why could she not speak to this woman like a normal human? Piper writhed in embarrassment while Nora and Magnolia, and later Ham, the bouncer, discussed Emogene.

After thanking Magnolia and turning away, Nora opened her pip-boy and consulted the map. "The Charles View Amphitheater. That's not too far away."

She led the way out of the Third Rail, and Piper started breathing more easily as she moved out of the reach of Magnolia's electric personality.

"So..." She looked over at Nora when she didn't continue and found her smirking at her. Piper felt her cheeks warming again. 

"So, what?" she asked, her attempt at nonchalance failing utterly.

Nora leaned toward her and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Magnolia, huh?"

Piper groaned. "I don't know what comes over me when I'm around her, Blue! She's just really attractive, and her voice makes my spine tingle, and then I forget how to speak. The worst part is, I don't even like her that way," she finished plaintively.

Nora grinned. "Star struck, huh?"

Piper smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess. What about you, Blue? You have anyone who makes you go weak at the knees?"

To Piper's delight, Nora blushed scarlet.

"Oh my god, there is! And judging by the color of your face, it's more than just a crush." She leaned toward Nora and stage whispered, "who is it?" And then, before Nora could answer, "is it Preston? 'Cause I'm pretty sure he likes you. I've seen the way he looks at you."

Nora snorted. "Hell no! First of all, Preston's already married, to the Minutemen, and secondly he is not my type."

"Ooh, you have a type? What's your type?"

"Well for one thing, miss nosy reporter, he's the wrong gender."

This stopped Piper in her tracks. "Wait, wait, hold on. What about Nate?"

Nora shrugged. "I loved Nate. He was my best friend. But we weren't 'in love'. It was a marriage of convenience."

Nora smiled at Piper's expression, linked arms with her and pulled her gently toward one of the nearby benches. Once they were seated, Piper dared to ask a question.

"Why a marriage of convenience?"

"Some years earlier, a really strong conservative movement had swept the country, and a lot of really conservative politicians had gotten elected, with the result that life got a lot more…" Nora paused, seeming to be searching for the right word. "…restrictive… especially for gay and queer people. Same-sex marriage had been made illegal, gay and single people weren't allowed to adopt and single parents tended to be ostracized, unless they also happened to be widowed."

Piper looked at her in shock. "I hadn't realized it was that bad."

Nora nodded and continued. "Nate and I grew up together. We'd been best friends for as long as I can remember. We talked about everything, from the most mundane details of our lives, to our deepest hopes and dreams. We knew that we both wanted children, but we were both gay, and we also knew that, if we tried to find someone we could love romantically, we'd likely never have any. So, we decided to marry each other."

Nora looked thoughtful for a moment.

"We were very young and scared when we made that choice. Maybe if we'd waited longer we'd have found the courage to pursue other relationships. Still, there are worse things you can do than marry your best friend. We were, if not happy, at least content. And, then there's Shaun. For his sake alone, I could never regret marrying Nate."

Nora chuckled suddenly. "Whatever else you might say about this time, at least nobody cares who you love anymore. Heck, I witnessed a man marrying a robot, and nobody blinked an eye!"


	9. Finding Emogene

They approached the Charles View Amphitheatre cautiously, pausing across the street to observe for a few minutes. They could see about a dozen regular looking people sitting around outside. They didn't appear aggressive, but Nora still took the precaution of checking her weapon and making sure it was fully loaded before heading over. 

"I’m looking for Brother Thomas?" she asked the first person they reached. The woman pointed to a man in a pale suit, sitting at the top of the steps, and they headed towards him. He stood when he saw them and held out his arms expansively.

"Welcome, neighbors! We're always glad to see a new face around here. Tell me something. You ever feel like this whole world is broken? Do you ever wonder why things can't be the way they were in the good old days?"

Nora laughed and shook her head.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," she said, mostly to herself. "I'm just looking for Emogene Cabot."

Piper saw a brief expression of anger cross the man's face.

"I'm sorry, but Emogene is indisposed right now. She's not seeing visitors."

"Her family's worried about her."

"You can tell them that she's fine. Not that it's any of your business, but she and I are just having a little… relationship trouble. You know how it is. She's not seeing anybody until she cools off."

Nora frowned.

"I'd be more willing to believe you if I could see for myself that she's fine and wants to be here. Look, I'm going to see her, one way or another. Your choice."

Piper blinked and stepped close to Nora so she could whisper in her ear.

"Whoa! You really want to head down this route?"

Nora looked at her seriously.

"If there's a chance she's being held against her will? Yes, absolutely." She turned back to Thomas. "Well?"

"Wow. You went right to throwing your weight around. I thought we were friends."

"I don't know what gave you that impression. We've only just met. Now, about Emogene?"

He grimaced and glanced nervously at her weapons and armor.

"Truth is, we had a little, uh, disagreement about her joining the movement. She got kind of violent, so I locked her in there until I could figure out what to do with her. If you're willing to take her off my hands… let me unlock the door for you and then, she's all yours." He started to lead them around the back to the amphitheatre's office. "I've gotta warn you, she's way stronger than she looks. It took all of us combined to even get her locked up in there."

Piper glanced at Nora and gulped at the look of fury she was directing at Thomas' back. Thomas led them into the office and unlocked an inner door behind the desk.

"She's all yours, neighbor."

Nora stepped closer to him and spoke in a low, threatening voice.

"I suggest you leave quickly, before I do something we'll both regret."

His eyes widened, and he paled, nodded and nearly ran out of the office. Piper put a hand on Nora's arm and looked at her in concern.

"You OK, Blue? I've never seen you quite this… aggressive, before."

Nora sighed.

"I don't like bullies. Or creeps. And that guy was both. He rubbed me the wrong way from word one."

Nora opened the door and stopped short just inside.

"You… are you Emogene Cabot?"

Piper looked over her shoulder, to see a grey-haired woman who appeared to be a good thirty years older than Brother Thomas. The woman rolled her eyes.

"Don't tell me, Jack sent you." 

"Uh, no. Edward sent me because your mother was worried." 

"Ah, Edward. You can tell he's not a Cabot. I'm so disappointed in Thomas. He seemed so interesting at first. But after we came here, he turned out to be just another brute. I was just waiting to see if he would come to his senses. But since you went to all the trouble of having me released, I may as well leave now. You can tell my family I'll be back eventually. I’m not ready to face my mother yet."

Nora scratched the back of her head.

"Can we escort you anywhere? Not implying that you can't take care of yourself, but I'd feel better if I can tell Edward you were somewhere safe when we last saw you."

Emogene smiled, stepped close to Nora and patted her cheek. Nora pulled her head back with a sharp breath and blushed, and Piper was surprised to feel a surge of jealousy.

"You're sweet. You're not like the thugs Jack usually sends. All right then, I thought I'd go to the Third Rail in Goodneighbor. Know it?"

Nora nodded, turned and put a hand on Piper's elbow to lead her out of the room. As they walked, Piper saw her stealing glances at Emogene. Emogene appeared to notice as well.

"Something you wanted to ask?"

"I’m sorry, I don't mean to stare. I was just expecting someone a bit… younger." She raised a hand apologetically. "That was rude, sorry."

Emogene laughed.

"Yes, don't you know you should never mention a lady's age?" She winked at Nora. "I like you. You're refreshingly blunt." She paused. "Just to be clear, I'm Jack's younger sister, the baby of the family. Once I get home and get some of Jack's serum, I'll be back to my usual, stunning self."

Nora frowned.

"The serum reverses aging?"

Emogene considered her for a moment before answering.

"It's more like it halts aging. I started taking it when I was thirty-two, so normally that's what I look like."

"I guess this is related to the artifact Jack said your father found. He said it had stopped Lorenzo from aging, but I guess he didn't tell me everything."

Emogene laughed again.

"And he's always after me for being a blabbermouth. Typical!" She shrugged. "Well, if Jack already told you, there can't be any harm. Jack's been studying that artifact for years. Early on he figured out a way to transfer the beneficial side effects to the rest of us. He developed a serum that we all take. It pretty much halts aging, although you can see what happens if you stop taking it for too long." She gestured at her own face.

"How… sorry, talking about age again, and you can totally blow me off if you'd rather not answer… how old are you?"

Emogene raised an amused eyebrow.

"Too old for you, sweetie."

Piper laughed and tried to hide it as a cough. Emogene turned to look at her.

"Something funny?"

Nora grinned at Piper before turning back to Emogene.

"It's just that I'm technically nearly two and a half centuries old."

Emogene blinked.

"How did _you_ manage it? I haven't heard of any other artifacts like the one father found."

Nora shook her head.

"No. I did it the old fashioned way. Cryogenic suspension. That's why I said technically. I was asleep for most of it."

"Huh. Interesting. I did read some articles before the war, but I hadn't realized cryogenic science had gotten that far." She glanced between Nora and Piper. "I don't often think about my actual age, but I'm at least a hundred and fifty years older than you," she smirked, "so, still too old for you."


	10. The Secret of Cabot House

Piper’s eyes widened as they approached Cabot House. 

“Wow, you weren’t kidding. This place is amazing.”

She tensed as a Mister Handy and a Sentry Bot came into view. Nora put a hand on her arm.

"It's OK. They belong to the Cabots. Just keep your weapon holstered and they won't bother you." She pulled out a key, unlocked the front door, and ushered Piper inside. 

"I'll be right back."

Piper was turning in place, mouth open, taking in everything. She nodded absently. Nora smiled to herself and went to find Edward. She found him in the kitchen and explained that she had found Emogene, that she was safe at the Third Rail, but that she wouldn't be coming home yet.

"Thanks. At least Wilhelmina can stop worrying now. I don't have anything else for you to do right now. You still staying in Diamond City?" Nora nodded. "I'll send a messenger to you there next time I need you." 

Nora went back to the entryway, and found Piper peeking around the corner into the living room. 

"How big is this place?"

Nora shrugged.

"Not sure. I haven't seen the whole thing." She pointed up the stairs in the living room. "Jack has a lab back there, and I just came from the kitchen. Beyond that, I'm not sure how many other rooms there are." She led the way back out the front door.

"So what's next?"

"The Cabots don't need me anymore for now, but Moe Cronin hired me to collect some baseball memorabilia for him. You want to come along?"

"Sure. Hey, I know you were joking when you told Moe that baseball players used to beat up the spectators, but what was the game really like?"

"Um… OK, so the field was set up with four bases, first, second, third and home…" Nora continued explaining the game to Piper as they made their way to the Westing Estate.

"It was fun to watch too, though my favorite part of going to a game was eating stadium food and hanging out with friends. Nate and I had season tickets to the Red Sox games. We always got the same seats, and so did a lot of the people in the seats around us, so there were people we became friends with because of baseball."

"Red Sox?" 

"Diamond City's team, back when it was Fenway Park."

"Wait, so each team had their own stadium? There are other places like Diamond City?"

"Yeah. They'd play about half their games at their home stadium, and the rest at other teams' stadiums." Nora opened her pip boy and checked the map. "I think we're here."

Through the wrought iron fence they could see that the whole area was flooded.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this place, Blue. Looks like Mirelurk territory."

Nora gave her a confused look.

"Like what territory?"

"Mirelurks?" At Nora's blank look she sighed. "Hoo, boy. OK, Mirelurks. They're big aquatic creatures with shells and pincers."

"Shells and pincers? So, like crabs or lobsters? Um… when you say big…"

"I don't know what lobsters are, but they're as tall as a person, but wider. And they're super aggressive. The shells are close to bullet proof, so you have to shoot them in the face or belly to kill them."

Nora observed the area for a few moments.

"Can they climb?"

"Uh, I don't know. Why?"

Nora pointed.

"Someone's set up some ramps and walkways between the buildings."

Piper shrugged.

"Worth a try, I guess."

They sprinted for the nearest ramp and clambered up above the water level. Almost immediately, they felt a vibration under foot, and a Mirelurk dug its way to the surface, and rushed, chittering towards them. Nora's eyes widened as she drew her pistol. 

"Jesus Christ! OK, so first, definitely crabs. Giant, murder crabs. And secondly, 'big, with shells and pincers' may be an apt description, but it leaves a lot out." 

"Quit complaining about my descriptive abilities and shoot the damn thing!"

Nora laughed and dropped to one knee. The Mirelurk obliged her by reaching up with its pincers to try to grab her, exposing its belly, and she took several shots, shuddering at the screeching noise it made. Two more Mirelurks dug their way to the surface, and they dealt with them in the same way. Piper found a broom in one of the buildings attached to the walkway and thumped it against the side of the building. 

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure that was the last of them. They're attracted by vibrations."

They waited a few minutes, then Piper dropped the broom.

"I think we're good."

It took a bit of exploring, but they eventually found the three items Moe wanted, and headed back to Diamond City.

\+ + +

Nora left her room at the Dugout a few days later and walked into the bar.

"Ah, there you are!"

Nora blinked in surprise.

"Jack? What are you doing here?"

"I need your help. Raiders are attacking the asylum. Edward is there, but he won't be able to hold them off by himself for much longer. We must get there before they can release Lorenzo."

"OK, let me get my gear." She turned away, paused and turned back. "Sounds like we could use backup. Mind if I bring a friend along?"

Jack nodded impatiently.

"Yes, yes, fine. Just do it quickly."

Nora nodded, jogged back to her room, put on her armor and grabbed a couple of weapons and some ammo. On their way out of Diamond City, she stopped at Publick Occurrences. Piper was thrilled to get out of the city again and eagerly agreed to come along.

The trek to Parsons State Insane Asylum was a long one, but Jack passed the time telling Nora more about his father, Lorenzo, and the artifact he had found in the Middle East at the end of the 19th Century. As he finished his story, Nora shook her head in disbelief.

"That's some Lovecraftian-level horror right there."

Jack gave her a considering look.

"Howard, yes. He was a friend of the family. We had a vacation home in Rhode Island, and he heard stories of my father's… condition, and used them as the inspiration for his writings."

They reached the asylum in late afternoon, to find the mercenary guards Edward had hired lying dead outside the building, along with the bodies of a number of raiders. Jack led the way inside. Edward had blocked the door to Jack's office, so they had to work their way through the building to reach the office, and the elevator to the basement levels, from the back.

Some of the raiders they ran into were unlike any Nora had come across before, not in the equipment they used, but in their sheer strength and aggressiveness.

"I wonder if these could be the same raiders that stole that last shipment of serum," Jack mused looking down at the body of a raider he had had to shoot in the face five times before he finally went down. "If some of them had used the undiluted serum… it could explain their unusual success against Edward's men."

"Undiluted?"

"Yes, my family takes a very weakened form of the serum. And even that is enough to confer the life lengthening effects you have seen. But undiluted it has side effects. It increases strength, aggression and resistance to physical damage."

Nora glanced back at the raider he had killed.

"No kidding."

They found Edward in Jack's office, collapsed against a wall, and badly injured. When Nora tried to help him, he waved her away.

"Don't worry about me. I just need to rest here a minute. Go with Jack and watch his back." 

Jack was using the terminal on his desk to determine how far the raiders had reached. While he finished, Nora dug in her pack and pulled out a stimpak, which she pressed into Edward's hand

"Looks like the Abremalin field is still functioning, although several of the security doors in the basement have already been breached. We need to hurry. They seem determined to reach Lorenzo. We'll need to go through the abandoned wing."

He hurried out of the office, with Nora and Piper close behind. They fought their way through raider after raider, using staircases, collapsed floors and holes in the floor to work their way down to the basement. 

They finally reached the high security room where Jack's father was confined. Lorenzo was kept in a small glass enclosed chamber, within a larger chamber, surrounded by a hallway that led to the control room, where they found themselves. Jack gasped when he saw what the raiders were doing.

"Those idiots are trying to shut down the Abremalin field! That's the only thing keeping Lorenzo from breaking out of there. We need to get in there and stop them."

"Hello, Jack," came a soft and almost gentle voice over the intercom. "It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of a personal visit."

Jack glared briefly at his father before accessing the terminal.

"Let's see… Lucifer's balls. They've locked down all the security doors. I'll have to open them one by one from here while you work your way down the hallway." Nora nodded and gestured Piper towards the first door. "Quickly now!" 

The first door opened and they dashed in, taking the raider who had been trapped in that section by surprise. As he dropped, Jack got the second door open, the remaining sections were empty, and Nora took the opportunity to reload her weapon.

As the door opened, they heard Jack's voice over the intercom.

"The Abremalin field is down!"

They could also hear Lorenzo encouraging the raiders to finish releasing him. Two of the raiders in the outer chamber came at them immediately, but these didn't appear to have taken the serum, and went down fairly easily. The leader, however, was in a full berserker rage, and even with both of them working together, it was a struggle to put him down.

As the last raider fell, they heard Jack's voice over the intercom.

"There's still a chance to stop him! I built a failsafe into the containment field. Switch the four Abremalin generators to 'manual override' and I can flood his cell with a lethal dose of zeta radiation."

Lorenzo came to the window of his cell and looked at Nora and Piper. 

"Don't listen to my son. He's the crazy one. You know this. Look at what he's done to me."

"Yeah, I'd be more likely to believe you if you weren't wearing that feathered head dress." Nora turned away from him, moved to the first generator Jack pointed to and switched it to manual, while Piper moved to the second one. Within seconds, all four generators had been switched.

"That's it! Don't worry. The zeta radiation won't harm you." A red field appeared around the inner chamber and Lorenzo collapsed to the floor, disappearing from view. "I'm sorry father. I did everything I could to avoid this. I believe I was close to finding a way to remove the artifact."

Piper came to stand next to her and leaned in close.

"Did we do the right thing?"

They heard Lorenzo's angry, weakened voice.

"Liar! You would have fed upon me here forever if you had your way! Puny worm, do you truly think you have the power to destroy me?"

Nora blinked and looked at Piper.

"I think we did. 'Puny worm' is not a phrase sane people use seriously."

Piper nodded, appearing relieved.

Jack joined them in the outer chamber, looked through the window and sighed.

"Goodbye, father." He turned to them, looking conflicted. "We didn't have any other choice, did we?"

"From everything you've said, I think it was the only thing we could do."

Jack nodded and wiped a hand across his eyes.

"He would have killed us all, and then the rest of my family. And that would only have been the beginning. His crimes, back when he was free… It was only because of my family's influence that he ended up here rather than on death row. The world now… it's a world made for monsters. Nothing could have stopped him." He sighed. "I've answered my own question. We truly had no choice."

"What happens now?"

"I need to bury my father and shut down this place." He looked around distastefully. "I won't be back here again. I won't be needing your services anymore after this, but here, I believe this should be fair compensation." He handed her a packet of caps, which she put into her pack. "I've unlocked the elevator to my office. You can take it on your way out."

Nora nodded and shook hands with him.

"We'll check on Edward on the way out and send him down to you."


	11. Seeking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines find... the wrong convoy.

"Nice day. Where are we heading?"

Blue had shown up after about a week away, and Piper had jumped at the chance to get out of the city for a while. 

"I've got a lead on a set of power armor northeast of the river, near Saugus Ironworks. And since we'll be going past it, I have an errand to run at the Taffington Boathouse settlement for the Minutemen."

The last time Blue had come to town, she had taken Piper on a tour of several settlements. Well, tour wasn't the right word. It was more of a patrol. Preston had convinced Blue to help him rebuild the Minutemen, and that tour was the result of the work they'd done so far. The settlements were all quite small, mostly single family homes, with one or two additional workers, but as news got out that the Minutemen were rebuilding, more people were starting to flock to those areas.

Taffington Boathouse was a new one to her, though. 

"What's the errand?"

"We've been collecting ham radios and trying to get one into each settlement, so they can communicate with each other and with Minutemen headquarters in emergencies. A couple of the settlements back near Sanctuary Hills have also started using them to organize build days. I picked one up at an abandoned truck stop a few days ago, and I've been waiting to be in the area to drop it off."

"I didn't know there was a Minutemen headquarters anymore."

Blue shook her head. "Well, no, there isn't, yet. But Preston has a plan to retake Fort Independence. Apparently that used to be the Minutemen's headquarters a while back, before it got attacked by some sort of sea monster."

"Wow, Blue. That's… quite an undertaking."

"Yeah, we're not quite ready yet. We need to recruit a few more folks to help out. But if we can retake it, we should be able to get the radio tower working and be able to get signals from every settlement in the Commonwealth."

Piper was impressed. She'd started hearing people talking about the Minutemen making a comeback around the marketplace in Diamond City, but she hadn't really realized how much Blue had been doing.

The settlement at Taffington Boathouse was one of the small ones; a large, mostly intact pre-war home, the boathouse that gave it its name, and a small plot of crops out front. A couple of people in Minuteman uniforms were helping the local settlers erect some scaffolding along one side of the house, presumably preparing to patch the large holes in the roof.

Piper and Blue walked up to the group. One of the Minutemen saw them and waved.

"Afternoon, General."

Piper blinked and looked at Blue. She saw her cheeks redden, but Blue very deliberately did not look back at Piper. 

"Uh, hi. Hey, Mitch," speaking to one of the settlers, "I found you a ham radio." She dug it out of her pack, passed it to him, and gave him some basic instructions on how to use it. 

"We can't stay this time, but it looks like you've got plenty of help."

They said their farewells, and continued on their way. Piper waited till they were out of sight of the settlement before asking anything.

"What was that?"

Blue's cheeks reddened again, and she still wouldn't look at Piper. 

"Uh, they used to call them barn-raisings back in the day."

"That is not what I meant, and you know it, Blue! She called you General."

Blue sighed and muttered, "I'm the General of the Minutemen."

"You're the what?"

"The General of the Minutemen, ok?" She sighed again and started speaking very quickly. "Look, it's stupid. It's not something I've earned. I'm not doing anything everybody else isn't doing. I was just the first one, and Preston didn't feel like he could be the official leader, so he appointed me. It's purely ceremonial."

"Hey." Piper stopped and took Blue's arm, forcing her to stop and face her. "I don't think it is, Blue. I saw how those people looked at you, how they spoke to you. They respect you. If you feel like you haven't earned it already, just keep doing whatever you've been doing."

Blue's eyes brightened slightly, and she ducked her head shyly. They continued walking for a while in silence.

"So, are you always on your best behavior, or just when you're traveling with nosy reporters?"

Blue looked up in surprise.

"I… I didn't realize I was."

"So this is you not even trying?"

"Uh..."

"Oh, hey, I'm not complaining. It's nice to meet someone else who cares, you know?"

Blue was so easy to talk to, and Piper found herself telling her all about her frustrations with the paper, and people's reactions to her articles, and then about her father's death, surprising even herself, because that wasn't something she _ever_ talked about. She suddenly realized she'd been talking for at least fifteen minutes straight, and though Blue appeared genuinely interested, she had a feeling she might have been over-sharing and started feeling self-conscious.

"But hey, sorry if I've been rambling. I just get fired up sometimes. It's just nice to talk to someone who really seems to get it, you know?"

Blue smiled at her. "You've listened to _me_ ramble on often enough, it was nice to return the favor. I think we're close now. I was told there were robots guarding the suit, so we'd better be careful."

Blue led her off the road and up a short bluff overlooking the wrecked military convoy that was their target. As they watched, they saw that Blue's intel had been correct, the convoy was being guarded by both an Assaultron and a Mister Gutsy. 

"Crap, I hate those...." Blue put a hand over Piper's mouth cutting her off, as the Assaultron turned in their direction. She leaned close and whispered in Piper's ear. "Wait until the grenade goes off, and then go after the Mister Gutsy. I'll deal with the Assaultron." As she spoke she had pulled a grenade from her belt, pulled the pin and lobbed it toward the Mister Gutsy. Piper dropped to the ground and covered her ears from the blast, then stood and drew her pistol, noticing that the robot's chassis was badly damaged.

She took a moment mentally to admire Blue's aim and started shooting, aiming for the eyes and the thruster, but being glad for any shot that hit it. 

Once it was destroyed, she turned to look for Blue, and found her sitting next to the destroyed Assaultron, looking very pale. 

"Blue!" She ran over to her.

Blue's voice was thick with pain. "Got me with the laser before I could kill it. Couldn't get out of the way fast enough."

Piper hissed when she saw that a wide strip across the shoulders of Blue's jumpsuit was gone, revealing blackened and reddened skin beneath. She quickly started digging through her pack for her medical supplies. 

"I'm going to give you something for the pain, first," she said, pulling out a syringe of med-x. When Blue nodded, she injected her in the arm. 

She unbuckled Blue's chest and arm armor pieces, then hesitated for a second, looking at Blue's back. "We'll need to get the jumpsuit off. It's sort of melted along the edges and I don't know what'll happen if it starts to heal over it."

Blue nodded again, and started to fumble with the zipper of the jumpsuit.

"Let me." Piper undid the zipper to her waist, and then helped her get her arms out of the sleeves. Blue gasped in pain as Piper peeled the melted fabric off her back. The tank top she wore under the jumpsuit was mostly intact, with just the top seam looking charred, so Piper slipped the straps off Blue's shoulders and down her arms, leaving the wound fully uncovered. It was going to take two stimpaks, she decided, and injected the first as close to the edge of the wound as she dared. She injected the second into Blue's arm, to ward off infection.

"Blue, we need to get you out of here. Do you know of anywhere nearby?"

Blue's voice was slightly slurred. That would be the med-x taking effect.

"Slog. Jus' b'hind us. Ghouls 'n a swimming pool."

Piper wondered if she'd given her too high a dose of med-x.

"OK. Come on, Blue. Let's go find these ghouls in a swimming pool." She started to help Blue to her feet.

"No, wait. Power armor. Have t' get pow'r armor."

"Blue, we can come back to get it tomorrow, after you've rested."

Blue looked up at her. Her pupils were completely blown out. "Please, Piper."

Piper sighed and nodded. "I'll go find it. You stay here."

Piper looked through every vehicle in the convoy, then returned reluctantly to Blue.

"There's… there's no power armor here, Blue."

Blue looked up at her again. She looked so lost and vulnerable that Piper just wanted to wrap her arms around her. Not a good idea at the moment, though.

"I'm sorry, Blue. Come on, let's get you somewhere safe."

She helped Blue to her feet, paused to tie the arms of the ruined jumpsuit around her waist, so it would stay in place, then put one of Blue's arms around her shoulders, and her own arm around Blue's waist, and slowly started walking her in the direction Blue had indicated. 

Just over the next rise, she saw the settlement. In the middle of it was an old swimming pool that had been converted into a tarberry bog. As they got closer, she noticed that every person in the settlement appeared to be a ghoul. Huh. It hadn't been the med-x talking. She mentally apologized to Blue.

The ghoul in charge, Wiseman, showed them to the bunkhouse and a spare bed. He told her that Blue had cleared out a nearby nest of Super Mutants for them, and he was glad to return the favor.

By the next morning, the burn on Blue's back looked like a bad case of sunburn. Blue bought a shirt and some jeans from Deirdre, who ran a little trading post at the settlement, to replace the ruined jumpsuit. It was strange to see her in normal clothes, Piper thought.

Blue insisted on going back to the convoy.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Pipes. I just need to see it for myself."

Piper nodded, and they walked back to the convoy. Blue looked in every vehicle, then sighed. 

"Someone else must have gotten to it first. I'd give a sackful of caps to know how they managed to get past those robots, though."


	12. The Devil's Due

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine gathers the supplies needed for her trip to the Glowing Sea.

“I was talking to a trader who came through yesterday. They just got back from the Salem area. Apparently, there’s something weird going on at the old Museum of Witchcraft.”

Nora paused in the marketplace, eavesdropping shamelessly on a pair of guards who were loitering nearby.

“Those traders are so superstitious. They’re just getting carried away because of the location.”

“I don’t know man, they said there were dead bodies outside, and screaming and roaring sounds coming from inside.”

The second guard scoffed and they passed out of Nora’s hearing. She continued on to Arturo’s stand to sell the armor and weapons she had collected recently, and to stock up on ammo, but throughout their transaction, she was thinking back on the guards’ conversation. By the time she finished she had decided she was heading to Salem. If nothing else, she’d at least be able to collect some more scrap to sell, and get closer to her trip to the Glowing Sea.

\+ + +

“You sure about this place, boss?”

They looked up at the old building and Nora shrugged.

“It should be worth checking out. They had some animatronics in there back in the day, so with any luck we’ll at least get some circuitry and electronics out of it.”

She walked up to the front door and turned the knob.

“Hmm, chained on the inside. Let’s see if there’s another way in.”

They split up and headed around the building in opposite directions. Nora was about halfway along the side of the building when she heard MacCready calling her. She found him in a graveyard, standing next to a body in combat armor and looking a little green. Nora crouched next to him and grimaced at the sight. The woman had been badly mauled, her head and one of her legs were both missing. Nora looked away, took a deep breath, and started rummaging through her pockets. She pulled a handful of caps from one pocket, some fusion cells from another, and in a third, she found a holotape. She stood and moved a few steps away from the body, plugged it into her pip boy and they listened. MacCready frowned.

"I recognize them. Gunners. Hart and Jefferies. They were in a different division than I was, but we worked a couple of jobs together." He looked back at the body. "That must be Hart."

"And the rest of them went into the museum, chased by whatever did that to her and to Conners." She also looked back at the body, before turning to MacCready. "You still up for it? Looks like it's going to be a lot more dangerous than we thought."

He nodded.

"Yeah. Don't want whatever it is coming up on us from behind if we leave it alive."

She nodded.

"OK, then." She pointed to the corner of the graveyard. "And there's our way in. Basement hatch."

The hatch opened easily. Nora turned on the light on her pip boy and started down the steps into the basement. They crept through the basement, weapons ready. Coming round a corner, both gasped and raised their weapons, then chuckled nervously when they realized that what they had thought were people, were just mannequins. 

"Who'd have thought the Museum of Witchcraft would be creepy as hell, huh?"

MacCready smirked and nodded. As they started up again, his foot hit a piece of wood lying discarded on the ground. The sound echoed through the building, followed by a deep roar, that had the hair on the back of their necks standing on end. Nora looked up towards the source of the roar.

"Shit. I know what it is."

MacCready swallowed hard and took a shaky breath.

"Yeah, I know what makes that noise."

They looked at each other, and spoke in unison.

"Deathclaw."

"OK. We've both obviously dealt with deathclaws before, and it's in an enclosed space, so that can only work to our advantage. Let's try to keep as far away from it as we can and take it down with distance shots."

MacCready nodded vehemently.

"Yeah, sounds like a good plan, boss."

"Let's find the stairs."

The deathclaw had gotten itself trapped in a small side room. Nora couldn't figure out how it had managed to get in there, because the door was much too small for it. It threw itself against the doorway when it saw them, splintering the wood, and they felt the blow through their feet. They raised their weapons and started shooting, enraging the creature even more. It bellowed in pain and anger, ripping at the wood of the doorway with its claws as it tried to reach them. As they continued to shoot at it, its anger increased as its strength waned, till it finally collapsed in a pool of its own blood. Nora and MacCready waited until it had stopped thrashing before approaching it, and even then, stayed out of range of its massive claws, just in case. Nora put a hand out to stop MacCready and listened for a few moments.

"I don't hear anything, do you?"

MacCready cocked his head to the side and closed his eyes, before shaking his head.

"Nope. I think we're alone now."

"Which begs the question, what happened to the rest of the gunners? Did they make it? Or did they end up as deathclaw lunch?"

MacCready blinked.

"You know, I almost forgot about them, what with this thing to deal with." He gestured towards the dead reptile. "I have another question: have you ever heard of a deathclaw tracking prey over long distances? Or following them into a building?"

Nora shrugged.

"Remember, everything I know about deathclaws, I've learned in the past couple of months. For all I know, that's perfectly normal behavior."

MacCready huffed with laughter.

"Right. Well, I can tell you that it isn't normal. There's something else going on here than just predator-prey behavior."

"All right, well, let's have a look around, see if we can figure it out."

They found the bodies of the rest of the gunner team down a hall next to the rest rooms. There was another holotape in one of their pockets. Nora put it into her pip boy.

"A nest full of deathclaw eggs. A dozen, maybe more. Smashed to bits. Except this one. No wonder they wouldn't tell us what was in that case. If I'd known, I would've personally told the Gunner bosses and that glorified liquor cabinet Wellingham to take those Diamond City caps and stuff 'em. Guess we know why that deathclaw tracked us all the way from Lynn Woods now. We stole her damn kids. Christ, maybe, maybe if we'd just returned the eggs… Oh, hey, mama. You looking for this?"

Nora and MacCready looked at each other. 

"So that Mister Handy from the Colonial Taphouse hired the gunners to get him some deathclaw eggs?"

MacCready shrugged.

"Sounds like it."

Nora looked into the bathroom and found the one intact egg. 

"Wonder what he was paying."

MacCready smirked.

"Only one way to find out."

Nora wrapped the egg in a few pieces of spare clothing and slipped it carefully into her pack. They spent some time exploring the museum and butchering the deathclaw carcass, and left weighed down with salvage and meat. They stopped for the night at County Crossing and made it back to Diamond City around mid-day the next day. Nora pulled the egg, still in its wrappings, out of her pack and held the pack out to MacCready.

"If you'll go sell the rest of the scrap, I'll go see what I can get for this from Wellingham."

MacCready nodded, took her pack and headed towards the marketplace. Nora followed him down the stairs, but paused with a smile before turning towards the upper stands and the Colonial Taphouse. She had spotted a red-leather clad behind poking out from the printer in front of Publick Occurrences.

"Printer break down again?" she asked as she reached the porch of Publick Occurrences.

Piper jumped, there was a thud, and then a string of curses. Nora clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter as Piper backed out and stood, rubbing her head.

"You kiss your sister with that mouth?"

"Very funny, Blue. You trying to kill me?"

Nora grinned.

"Sorry, Pipes. Didn't mean to startle you. I wasn't trying to be stealthy."

Piper huffed.

"Well, you succeeded anyway." She sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, don't mean to be grumpy. I've just been trying to get that infernal machine working again all day and it's got me in a bad mood." She glanced curiously at the package Nora was carrying. "What've you been up to?"

"A bit of scavenging. Came across a deathclaw nest with one unbroken egg, and I happen to know that Wellingham up at the Colonial Taphouse is in the market for deathclaw eggs, so I was going to see what he'd give me for it."

"An abandoned deathclaw nest with eggs still in it?" Piper raised an eyebrow dubiously.

Nora cleared her throat and tugged at one earlobe.

"I, uh, never said it was abandoned."

Piper rolled her eyes.

"Good grief, Blue!"

"Look, it had already killed at least half a dozen people. We couldn't just leave it alive to keep ravaging the countryside," Nora answered defensively.

Piper smiled fondly at her. Nora cleared her throat and gestured towards the upper stands.

"Anyway, I'm going to go talk to Wellingham."

"Mind if I come along? I could use a break from this thing." She kicked half-heartedly at the printer. Nora nodded and led the way.

When she approached Wellingham, the robot jumped to the conclusion that she was one of the gunners hired to fetch the eggs for him. She didn't disabuse him of the notion. He was disappointed that she only brought one egg and offered a low ball price for it. Nora refused, mentioning the danger involved and the deaths of the gunners, and haggling amiably with him until she got him to agree to a price that was much better for her own wallet. 

MacCready was waiting just outside the outdoor seating area and gave her a pleased smile.

"Not bad, boss. Couldn't have done it better myself."

He handed her the money he'd gotten for selling the scrap. She stopped for a moment, counted out half of both packets and handed it back to him.

"Your share. Good work today. I'll get in touch next time I need you."

He nodded and tipped his hat to her. 

"Thanks, boss. I'll be at the Third Rail as usual."

Nora turned to Piper.

"Let's go see if we can get that printer of yours working again, shall we?"


	13. Confidence Man

Piper stepped into the Dugout Inn. She looked around as she walked up to the bar, and was disappointed not to see Nora. 

"Beer, please, Vadim."

"One beer. You sure you don't want shot of Bobrov's Best, eh Piper?" Vadim grinned slyly at her as she shuddered and shook her head.

"Never again."

He laughed and placed a beer in front of her. She popped off the cap and pocketed it, turned her back to the bar and took a sip. She looked around for a place to sit. The place was pretty full tonight, so she made her way towards the darkened corner beyond the pillars, and stopped short with a smile when she saw Nora tucked away in that same corner, working her way through a large bowl of noodles, with a nearly empty Nuka Cola at her elbow. Nora glanced up from her meal and smiled, cheeks puffed full of food, a stray noodle dangling from her lips. Piper chuckled and walked closer.

"Hungry?"

Nora bit off the dangling noodle, letting it fall back into the bowl, and started chewing, while nodding vehemently.

"Mind if I join you?" Piper gestured towards the seat next to her.

Nora gave her a thumbs-up, still chewing busily. Finally she swallowed and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth.

"Sorry. All I had for lunch was some jerky and that was a long time ago."

"What've you been up to the past few days?"

Nora shrugged.

"Exploring, scavenging. Haven't gone too far afield since I got back from Salem." She shoved a slightly smaller forkful of noodles into her mouth.

"How close do you think you are?"

Nora swallowed her mouthful and sighed.

"As far as supplies go, I'm getting there. The biggest obstacle is going to be getting that second set of power armor and enough fusion cores." She finished off her Nuka Cola, leaned around the pillar, waited till she caught Vadim's eye, held the bottle up and waggled it back and forth a couple of times. The bartender nodded, and came by a few minutes later with a new bottle.

"Thanks, Vadim."

Vadim hesitated, tossing the caps she had given him lightly in one hand. Nora and Piper looked up at him curiously.

"Something wrong?"

"Not wrong, no. You are mercenary for hire, yes?"

Nora raised an eyebrow and nodded hesitantly.

"Yeah. What are we talking about here?"

Vadim pocketed the caps, grabbed a nearby chair and sat across from them.

"All right. Tell me. Diamond City Radio - is terrible, yes? Makes you want to cut your own ears off?"

Nora blinked at this non sequitur and glanced at Piper, who looked just as confused as she felt.

"I… yeah, I guess. I mean, the music's not bad, but…"

Vadim nodded.

"Yes, exactly, problem is DJ, Travis. He is disaster. Something must be done, and soon. Radio is bad for business, makes customers unhappy." He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Someone needs to get rid of him. We need a new DJ for the radio. I don't think many would notice if he… you know, disappeared."

"Vadim! I thought Travis was your friend!" Piper said, horror stricken.

Nora held up a hand.

"Hold it right there, Vadim. I'm a merc, not an assassin."

The big man burst into loud laughter.

"Ah, I joke. Yes, Piper, Travis is a good friend. Yefim and I worry about him. He means well, but he does not have the confidence for that job." He grimaced. "Or anything else, really. He expects to fail at everything, and so he does."

Nora nodded, relieved.

"OK, good. So what did you have in mind, then?"

Vadim wiped his eyes and cleared his throat.

"I have plan. You and I work on plan. Travis is good guy. He deserves better life."

"Yeah, I'm gonna need more details."

Vadim made shushing motions at her.

"Ever been in bar fight?"

"No, but I've been in other kinds of fights. I can hold my own, if that's what you mean."

"Exactly what I mean. I want you to back up Travis in his first fight."

"Travis isn't exactly the sort to get into a bar fight, Vadim." Piper put in. Nora nodded in agreement.

Vadim shook his head.

"Nah, I want to stage fight here in Dugout. Nothing too serious. We make sure Travis wins and feels good about himself after. I want you to be there to help make it look real. What do you think? Sound good to you?"

Nora frowned.

"How would something like that even work?"

"It makes sense. I promise. I have contacts. People I can count on. Real tough looking, but they will take dive for money. They confront Travis here at Dugout. You step in and give him push he needs to stand up to them. Then you and Travis take them down, nothing gets too rough, and Travis has something he can feel good about. Simple, right?"

"I don't know, Vadim. This sounds like it could go sideways very easily. You sure about these guys?"

"I tell you, this will work. But Travis can't even win pretend fight without help, so that's why I need you."

Nora sighed and glanced over at Piper, who shrugged and grimaced.

"OK, Vadim. When's this going down?"

"Tomorrow at six o'clock. Travis should be here by then. You show up, and it will go well. Promise."

He stood, smiled brightly at them, and returned to the bar.

\+ + +

"I knew this was a bad idea," Piper muttered under her breath.

Nora sat in the back room of the Dugout with her head tilted back, pinching a rag to her broken nose, while Piper dabbed at her split lip. Vadim stood over them looking pleased.

"See, I told you plan would work." 

Nora took Piper's wrist and held it away from her mouth so she could answer.

"I thought they were supposed to take a dive, Vadim. Those guys did _not_ hold back. I'd better be getting hazard pay for this."

"Ah, yes. Pay." He reached into a nearby drawer and pulled out two rattling packets. "Here. As agreed, plus a little extra since the boys broke the agreement. And for your injuries." He held out a stimpak. 

Nora took the stimpak first and handed it to Piper. She held up a hand to stop her from using it, took a couple of deep breaths, and then pulled down on her nose. She swore loudly as tears of pain sprang to her eyes, then held out her arm to Piper, who injected the stimpak, looking a little nauseous. Even Vadim was looking a bit green. She breathed heavily for a few minutes, until the stimpak started to take effect, and the pain started to fade, then reached out and took the two pay packets. Vadim smiled tentatively at her.

"Ready for next part of fool-proof plan?"

"I'm not getting into anymore fights."

"No, no. This part is simple. You have seen Scarlet, yes?" Nora nodded. "I am simple bar tender, but I see things. I see how Travis looks at her. And I see that sometimes she looks at him. If someone who was not her employer suggests that she go spend time with Travis, it might do him some good. But you and I never talked about this, all right?"

Nora looked thoughtful.

"This might work. She definitely finds him attractive, but I think she's been waiting for him to make the first move, which is getting them nowhere." 

Piper looked at her in surprise.

"How do you know that?"

Nora shrugged.

"I mean, I've kinda been living here on and off for the past few weeks. We've chatted a few times."

"Oh."

"So, you will continue plan?"

"I'll talk to her, but I'm not going to try to manipulate or coerce her. I like Scarlet and I don't want to see her get hurt."

Vadim waved his hands dismissively.

"No, no. They are perfect for each other. Just need little push."


	14. Lie Down with Dogs

Nora joined Piper at one of the outdoor tables and handed her a beer. As she took a seat next to her, Piper reached out and gently took Nora's chin, turning her face towards the light.

"You have two black eyes. Couldn't really tell in there."

Nora chuckled.

"Always wanted to be a panda."

Piper frowned.

"A what?"

Nora gave Piper a disappointed look.

"No pandas?” She sighed when Piper shook her head. “They were a type of bear native to China. They had black and white fur - their faces were white with black patches over the eyes." She pointed to her own eyes. "They were super cute."

Piper raised an eyebrow dubiously.

"A bear that was cute?"

"Trust me they were adorable. Unlike most other species of bears, they weren't particularly aggressive, so that helped their cuteness factor."

"Well, if they looked anything like you, they must have been."

Nora blinked.

"Did you just call me cute or non-aggressive?"

Piper's eyes widened and she blushed.

"Cute! Not aggressive! I mean… no! I'm not saying you look like a bear… you're very attractive… you're…"

Nora raised a hand to her mouth to try to hide her smile. Piper sighed and covered her eyes.

"I'll just shut up now."

Nora smirked.

"You're really good with words. You should go into journalism or something," she said teasingly.

Piper glared at her and stuck out her tongue. Nora laughed, then glanced away and waved at someone behind Piper. Piper turned to see Scarlett approaching. The young waitress hurried wide-eyed towards their table, hesitated nervously when she saw Piper, then continued towards Nora.

"I heard you and Travis got into a fight!" She gasped as she got a closer look at Nora's face. "Oh my god, it's true! Why would you fight Travis?"

Nora shook her head.

"No, no, I didn't fight Travis. We were on the same side. Some guys were messing with him and we took care of them together."

"Oh." Scarlett dropped into an empty seat at their table, fidgeting with her hands. "Is he OK?"

"Yeah, he came out of it better than I did, just got the wind knocked out of him. But I bet he could use some company. You should go check on him."

Scarlett blushed and looked away.

"You think so?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Go!"

She smiled shyly and nodded.

"I'm about to start my shift, but I'll go see him after."

She stood, glanced nervously at Piper again, and hurried into the bar. Nora looked after her, then turned to Piper.

"What was that all about?"

Piper shrugged uncomfortably. 

"People don't like to share personal information around me. They're afraid it'll end up in the paper."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. You did kinda write a bio of my most recent history when we first met. No reason for folks to think you wouldn't do the same to them."

Piper shifted in her seat.

"Hey, I've done a lot of good with that paper," she said defensively.

Nora looked at her in surprise.

"I… I wasn't criticizing. Or, I didn't mean to, anyway. I was just agreeing with you that that's one of the hazards of being a reporter."

Piper's shoulders slumped.

"Sorry. I'm just used to being snubbed by people because of what I do."

Nora reached over and pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"Well, they're missing out. You're good people, Pipes." Piper blushed. "Though, I have to admit, it was very weird hearing random strangers talking about my life."

\+ + +

Nora walked in to the bar the next morning, prodding gingerly at her nose. There was a little tenderness, and she was congested, but it felt a lot better than when she'd gone to sleep the night before. She looked up when she heard someone muttering restlessly in Russian to see Vadim's brother Yefim pacing up and down in front of the bar.

"Something wrong?"

He stopped in front of her and ran a hand over his head.

"I knew he was up to no good, and look what's happened now!" He grasped her sleeve desperately. "You've got to help. I can't do it. You've got to help me!"

She put a hand over the one holding her sleeve and spoke soothingly.

"Slow down, Yefim. What's wrong? What's happened?"

"They took him! They took Vadim!"

"Who took him?"

"Those men… the ones that messed with Travis. They came back. Said Vadim owed them money, that they had a deal. He wouldn't pay, said they had broken the agreement, and they grabbed him and said they'd make him pay. And then they just dragged him out. You have to do something. Please tell me you can do something!"

"Do you know where they took him?"

"No, I don't know! He's the one who always dealt with them; I've tried to avoid them. Travis might know."

She patted his hand.

"OK, Yefim. I'll go talk to Travis. I'll get him back."

"Please hurry. I don't want anything to happen to my brother!"

\+ + +

Nora raised her hand to knock on the door of Travis' trailer, but was startled into taking a step back as the door opened just at that moment. Scarlett jumped, then blushed when she saw who it was.

"Um… hi."

Nora smiled as Scarlett practically ran past her, her cheeks as red as her name implied. Nora sighed, her smile fading as she took the steps into the trailer, knocking as she walked through the open door.

"Travis, I need your help. Vadim's been kidnapped by Bull and Gouger."

Travis rolled his eyes.

"Very funny."

"This isn't a joke, Travis. This is serious."

Travis' eyes widened, and his old stuttering nervousness appeared.

"Oh man. This is because of what happened, isn't it? This is my fault!" 

His breathing grew shallow, and he sounded like he was about to start hyperventilating.

"No, Travis. This is between Vadim and those men. It's not your fault."

"But if I hadn't gotten into that fight with them, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"Travis, did you hire them to kidnap Vadim?"

He looked shocked and offended.

"What? No! Of course not!"

"Then it's not your fault. OK?"

He took a shaky breath and nodded.

"I don't have a lot of friends. If Vadim is missing, or in trouble or whatever, then I want to help get him back."

"You can help by telling me where Bull's gang hides out."

He shook his head.

"I want to do more than that. I took them on yesterday, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but that was hand to hand. They'll probably be armed now."

Travis swallowed hard.

"I… I have a gun, and I've practiced with it some. I can help."

Nora sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Are you sure you can do what needs to be done?"

"You… you're talking about… killing people, aren't you?" Nora nodded and Travis took a deep breath, his voice steadying again. "If that's what it takes… to save my friend…"

Nora looked at him for a moment before nodding reluctantly.

"OK, fine. But you do what I tell you to do, understood? If I tell you to drop, you drop. If I tell you to wait, you wait. Get it?" He nodded. "So do you know where they are?"

"I've heard enough to know they're probably holed up at the old Beantown Brewery." 

"All right. Before we go, meet me at my room at the Dugout. I have a spare set of leather armor I can loan you. You are _not_ going in wearing just jeans and a letterman jacket. And let me have a look at your gun. I'll make sure it's in good shape and won't jam on you."

Travis went to a footlocker by his bed and pulled out a little pipe pistol. Nora turned it over in her hands and sighed.

"I'll loan you a better gun. You might as well try tickling them as shoot them with this thing." She noticed the hurt look on his face as she handed back the gun. "It's not bad for practice, or to take down mole rats, but we're going up against armored humans. You'll need a bit more power. Meet me at the Dugout in an hour, OK?"

He nodded.

Nora left Travis' trailer and made her way to Publick Occurrences.

"I need your help," she said as soon as Piper answered her knock.

Piper looked surprise at her serious expression, but nodded immediately and stepped back to let her in. Nora quickly explained the situation.

"And now I've got Travis tagging along too. I need someone to watch my back, because I'm going to have to concentrate on making sure he doesn't get himself killed."

"I'm with you, Blue. When do we leave?"

"One hour."

Nora spent that hour at the weapons workbench outside Arturo's shop, building a suppressor for her favorite .44 pistol, with pointers from Arturo. She wanted to get as far into the building as possible before being detected.

\+ + +

They stood outside the brewery letting Travis catch his breath.

"I'll take lead. Travis, you follow me, and Piper watch our backs." They both nodded. "Keep it quiet. No talking, watch your steps. OK, let's go."

There were two sleeping raiders in a room off the entryway. Nora took them both out before they could get out of their bedrolls. They crept up a set of stairs that led to the factory floor. Nora held up a hand to stop them, and continued forward. Travis started after her, but Piper grabbed his arm and shook her head, leaning close to him.

"She's going to have a look. Wait till she gets back," she whispered.

They heard the pop of Nora's suppressed pistol three more times and then, the calls of other raiders who had found their dead buddies. Piper released Travis' arm and nodded to him. 

"Let's go."

When they reached her, Nora was exchanging fire with three or four more raiders ranged along a series of catwalks. Piper pressed herself against one wall of the stairwell and started helping, while Travis seemed to be shooting more or less at random. After a few minutes, silence fell, and Nora stood and cautiously entered main factory space. She looked around for a few minutes, then nodded and beckoned the other two, and started walking across the catwalks to an office cubicle on the other side, still watching all sides as she walked. 

They found Vadim tied and gagged in the office. Travis hurried up to him and released him.

"Thank you. I didn't know if anyone would come. I thought perhaps this is the end." He stood and gripped Travis by both arms, then clapped Nora and Piper on the shoulders. "You are true friends."

"Are there more of them, Vadim? Are they going to come after you again?"

He shook his head.

"This was best they could do. You got them." He looked at Travis again and shook his head disbelievingly. "Travis, I am surprised to see you here. How did you get roped into this?"

Travis put a hand on his shoulder.

"I wasn't forced into it. I wanted to help. I'm glad you're safe."

Vadim laughed.

"You are full of surprises, my friend." 

Vadim headed out of the room, and started looting the bodies of the dead raiders. Travis hesitated in the office. He wiped a trembling hand over his face.

"Man, what a day. Hey, listen. I wanted to say thanks. This has been crazy, but I've learned a lot, I think."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Well, that's what I've been thinking about. After all this, I think about the things that had me worried so much, and it just seems… silly, you know? Like, was I really that worried about just being on the radio? That's nothing compared to being beaten up, shot at… I can do so much more. And I need to. Anyway, thanks again. I owe you."

He started to unfasten his armor chest piece, but Nora put out a hand to stop him.

"Keep it. And the gun. In case you decide to do some in-the-field reporting or need to rescue another friend."


	15. Treasures of Jamaica Plain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines clear the way for a new settlement, and go in search of hidden treasure.

"Hey, Blue! Where're you heading?"

Nora turned and slipped her pack onto her shoulders.

"Uh, Jamaica Plain. Some people at one of the settlements were thinking it would make a great new settlement, if the feral ghouls that are infesting it got cleared out."

Piper smirked

"Ooh, Jamaica Plain? You gonna search for buried treasure while you're there?"

Nora looked at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

"You've never heard of the Treasure of Jamaica Plain?"

Nora shook her head.

"They say the last mayor of Jamaica Plain buried treasure somewhere in the town. This was during your time, last mayor before the bombs." She rolled her eyes. "I always figured it was some metaphorical crap. 'The real treasure is you.'"

Nora grinned.

"So… you wanna come with? See if it's real or not? It would make a great story for your paper if we do find it."

Piper's eyes brightened. 

"You know what, it would, wouldn't it? OK, Blue. Let me get my stuff."

\+ + +

"Watch your digits, Blue! More ferals!"

Nora clambered up on a ruined car and shot down at the three feral ghouls that were scrambling after her. She dropped to a crouch, breathing hard, turning on one knee to look out across the small town. There was silence. She looked across the street to where Piper had climbed onto an old wall.

"You OK?" Piper nodded. "Hopefully that was most of them, but there might be more in some of the buildings. We should do a sweep of the place before we start exploring."

Piper holstered her 10mm and hopped down off the wall. Nora climbed down off the car and joined her. They started at one end of the small town and worked their way through each building, finding one ghoul here, two there. The worst offender was the Town Hall, which seemed to be their nesting place. There were nearly as many ghouls in that one building as there had been in the rest of the town put together. 

They sat together on the steps of the Town Hall after clearing the town and patched each other up.

"Did you notice the human bodies scattered around?"

Nora nodded.

"The woman in there," she pointed back at the Town Hall, "the guy in the church, the guy in the middle of the road…"

"There was also a man and a woman in one of the houses," Piper finished. "And they obviously haven't been here long. They're not too badly decomposed, and…" she grimaced, "they hadn't been nibbled on… much."

"You think they were treasure hunters?"

Piper shrugged.

"Wouldn't surprise me."

"We should check them out. See if they have any intel."

Piper made a face, but nodded. They started with the woman in the Town Hall building, and came up with an audio log on a holotape and the mayor's password. The woman appeared to have been the group's leader, and was complaining that the others had scattered when they were attacked by the ghouls, putting her months of preparation into jeopardy.

The man in the middle of the road was Carl Everett, according to the log they found on his body. He had owed the leader, Sal, money, and he had convinced her that if she helped him find the treasure of Jamaica Plain, the score would set them up for life. He had been the one to put the team together, and had listed their names and specialties. He was also carrying a key to the Town Hall building.

The man in the church was Luke Silverhand, their techie. He was carrying the mayor's ID card, and according to a note he had written, he was planning to betray the rest of the group by turning off the automated defenses, letting the group through, and then turning them back on, so he could have the whole treasure to himself.

There were three more names on Carl's list, Ken and Tanya Standish, and Hadrian. Hadrian had never responded to his calls, which meant that the couple in the house had to be Ken and Tanya. Ken was carrying a key to the Jamaica Plain archives, and Tanya's journal showed that she was planning on killing Sal after they found the treasure, because she was jealous of Sal's attentions to her husband.

Nora and Piper glanced at each other after looking through all this. Nora grimaced.

"Charming group. Notice how each of them has one key piece of the puzzle? They didn't trust each other, and with good reason."

Piper nodded, then tapped the slip of paper with the mayor's password.

"There was a working terminal in the Town Hall. D'you think that was the mayor's office?"

"Worth a look."

They headed back to the Town Hall. The password did unlock that terminal. They found a transcript of the speech the mayor gave at the dedication ceremony, and the town's budget for 2077, which showed a $38.79 million dollar expenditure for the 'Treasures Exhibit,' indicating that there really was something hidden there.

"So, we know it exists, but where is it?" Nora asked.

Piper looked thoughtful.

"We've still got these two keys. What do they open?"

After a bit of experimentation, they found that the Town Hall key unlocked the basement, and in the basement, they found the security system Luke Silverhand had mentioned. Nora whistled, looking down the hallway.

"That's a hell of a lot of laser tripwires."

As they stepped further into the room, an automated recording started up. 

"Welcome to the Treasures of Jamaica Plain. The security system is currently active. Please scan your ID to proceed."

"There." Piper nodded towards a console with a card reader embedded in it. Nora scanned the mayor's ID.

"Identification acknowledged. Welcome, mayor. You are clear to proceed."

The array of lasers switched off, plunging the hallway into gloom. Nora and Piper walked cautiously down the hallway and through the door at the end. They were confronted with a pair of protectrons on charging stations, a console with a terminal in it, and another door. Nora knelt in front of the terminal and, using the mayor's password again, unlocked the door. Piper looked through the opening door as a light beyond switched on and rolled her eyes.

"Good grief. Are we ever going to reach it?"

Nora stood and found that, instead of the treasure room, what she had unlocked was another hallway, with a button on a pedestal at the end of it in front of yet another door. She shrugged.

"This has to be the end."

She walked up to the button and pressed it, opening the final door to reveal the treasure room. She looked around for a few moments and then burst out laughing. Piper looked around in confusion.

"It's just junk!"

Nora nodded. 

"It's a time capsule." Piper still looked confused. "A group of items meant to show people in the future what life was like when they were put away."

Piper grimaced.

"That… seems like an awful waste of money."

Nora nodded.

"I've never seen one on this scale before. Usually it would be a small container buried somewhere, but it looks like the mayor was hoping to bring in tourist traffic with this."

She started walking around the room, looking at the exhibits.

"Man, a lot of this really is junk." She glanced back at Piper. "So… good story or not?"

Piper grunted in disgust and Nora put a hand on her arm.

"Hey, sorry I dragged you into this for so little payout."

Piper looked at her in surprise, then grinned wryly.

"At least it's not a metaphorical treasure." She stopped in front of the sports exhibits and picked up a baseball bat. "World Champions?"

Nora looked up from her pip boy.

"According to this list," she waggled her arm at Piper, "that's the 2076 World Series baseball bat." She looked at it musingly. "I wonder if Moe would want it."

Piper nodded.

"I bet he would, after all that other baseball crap he asked you to get." She looked back at the exhibit, picked up a holotape and tossed it at Nora.

"Here. What's on this?"

Nora took out the inventory holotape and plugged the new one in. She watched for a few moments.

"Game seven of the 2076 World Series." She laughed. "It would ruin Moe's concept of baseball. I think I need to show it to him."

Piper laughed and shook her head.

"You've got a mean streak, Blue."


	16. Rebuilding

Nora stood on the steps of Jamaica Plain's Town Hall and looked musingly around the town.

"I think the house next to the workshop over there is in the best shape. What do you think?"

Piper nodded.

"Plus it is, as you say, right next to the workshop, so that'll be convenient as they start rebuilding."

Nora rubbed her hands together.

"OK, then. Let's get started."

They headed towards the chosen building. In the workshop, Nora dug through her pack and pulled out a ham radio she had scavenged a few weeks earlier and set it up on top of the workbench. She connected it to a fusion core battery and twiddled the dial until she found the Minutemen frequency. She spent the next few minutes talking with the settlers who had sent them to Jamaica Plain, and later with Preston, who would be sending a few full-time Minutemen to help them and the new settlers get things set up.

Nora turned off the radio and kicked at the rubble of the workshop's collapsed wall, pleased to see that a lot of the bricks in the pile were in decent shape, and could be reused to rebuild. She stopped to think, then jogged out of the building and across the parking lot next door. Yes, she had remembered correctly. The ruined building next to the parking lot had also been made of brick, and between the rubble and the remains of the walls, they'd have plenty to work with.

She returned to the house next to the workshop.

"Piper?"

"Up here."

Nora walked up the stairs. Piper was standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at a hole in the wall.

"If it weren't for that," she gestured at the hole, "this house would be in really good shape."

"I've seen sheets of plywood lying around all over the place, and there's that," she pointed to a broken bed frame behind them. "Let's see if we can get it patched."

They spent the next couple of hours patching the hole, and cleaning up the house with a broom Piper had found while Nora was on the radio. Piper went outside with her last load of trash and shivered in a sudden gust of wind. She crossed her arms, tucking her hands in her armpits against the sudden cold. 

She noticed a flickering light in the workshop next door, and found Nora feeding a small fire, and hanging a pot from a tripod over it. She moved as close to the fire as she comfortably could, and stretched out her hands with a sigh of relief. Nora grinned at her.

"Chilly?"

"I shouldn't be surprised. It is the middle of winter. But it was so nice earlier. Maybe we should just sleep in here next to the fire."

Nora hmmed and shook her head.

"Not a great idea. The floor in here is stone. It'll leach more heat out of us than the fire will provide. Plus," she pointed up, "roof's gone, and it feels like rain."

Piper sighed, and rubbed her hands together over the fire. 

She started shivering again as soon as Nora banked the coals after they finished their supper. The temperature had dropped considerably while they'd been cooking and eating. They hurried into the house next door and up to the second floor. Piper gave Nora a bemused look.

"How are you not cold?"

Nora gave her a wicked grin and touched the tips of her fingers to Piper's neck. Piper squeaked, pulled her shoulders up and stepped back.

"I am cold." She noticed Piper's chattering teeth for the first time. "Though maybe not as cold as you are. Let's get the bedrolls set up. I have an idea."

She grabbed a sleeping bag they had found on the other side of the hole in the wall, unzipped it and laid it open. 

"Help me with this." She picked up a corner of the rug they had found there. With Piper's help, she folded it in half and laid it on top of the old sleeping bag. She then unzipped her own sleeping bag and spread it out on top of the rug.

"And now yours on top."

Piper had been watching all this with a growing realization, and felt a blush rising in her cheeks, as she stood hesitating with her sleeping bag in her arms.

"You… we… you want." She was suddenly wracked by a particularly violent shiver and held out the sleeping bag without further comment.

"What are you wearing under that trench coat, anyway?" Nora asked as she unzipped the sleeping bag.

Piper blinked in confusion.

"Is that meant to be a come on?"

Nora looked up, surprised.

"I… what?" She shook her head. "You're freezing. What do you have under the coat?"

"A sh-shirt."

Nora put her hands on her hips.

"Really? A shirt?" She rolled her eyes. "Piper Elizabeth Wright, who taught you to dress for winter?"

Piper laughed.

"Elizabeth?"

Nora grinned and shrugged. 

"It works better with a middle name." She wiped the smile off her face and mock glared at Piper again. "Don't distract me. Take that coat off."

She started removing her own jacket, and then pulling off the sweater she was wearing underneath. She tossed the sweater to Piper and pulled the jacket back on. When Piper hesitated, Nora made shooing motions.

"Well, go on!"

Piper clamped her chattering teeth together, took a deep breath and, as quickly as possible, shucked off the trench coat, put on the sweater and put the coat back on, sighing in relief as she tied the belt again. Nora smiled at her.

"Better?"

Piper nodded and yawned hugely. Nora knelt next to the combined bedroll and zipped the top two sleeping bags together, then sat on one end and started pulling off her boots.

Piper hesitated for a moment before doing the same, slipping between the two sleeping bags and pulling her end of the zipper further up. She curled up on her side with her hands tucked up under her chin. She felt Nora moving behind her, heard the zip as she fastened her end of the sleeping bags, and then a warm body against her back, an arm around her waist. Piper shivered, and this time it wasn't from the cold.

"Is this OK?"

"Mm-hmm." Since when was her voice so high pitched? Dammit, Piper, relax. She's just sharing warmth. It doesn't mean anything. Just because she likes girls and just because she's got her arm around you, doesn't mean she likes you that way. But, oh god, it felt so nice, and it had been so long. She sighed, and very deliberately turned her thoughts to other topics, Nat, the paper, noodles, anything to distract her from the direction her thoughts _wanted_ to follow.

\+ + +

Nora poked her nose out of the sleeping bag and grunted at the sharp chill. She shifted slightly, and chuckled when she realized that Piper was curled up against her, with her nose buried against her chest. Absolutely adorable. She hated to disturb her, but nature was calling.

"Piper." She shook her top arm gently. Piper shifted, groaned, then gasped and pulled away sharply.

"Oh, god! I'm sorry!"

"Piper, you're fine. Don't worry about it. I just need to use the little girl's room."

Piper rolled onto her back, and as Nora pulled on her boots and headed down the stairs, she clapped a hand to her eyes and shook her head. It was still cold out, maybe she still had a chance to freeze solid and avoid this embarrassment.

\+ + +

They spent the morning sorting through the rubble of the workshop walls, making neat stacks of usable bricks. By the time the Minutemen troop arrived, they had a nice little pile ready to use, and with the extra hands available, and some cement they found miraculously untouched in the old hardware store across from the Town Hall, they started patching the wall of the workshop.

The next day, the settlers arrived, worn down, exhausted, but with a light of hope in their eyes. There were five of them, a man and woman with a small boy and a toddler, and the woman's father. 

Within another couple of days, they had the framework of the new settlement. The Minutemen troop had brought the supplies with which to build a couple of machine gun turrets; Nora had rigged up a pump with a purifier, to pull in the nearby swamp water; the workshop had been patched up and roofed over, and intact doors had been scavenged from elsewhere in the town, giving the settlement two usable buildings; and though they couldn't plant in the middle of winter, they had some seedlings in pallets sheltered in the workshop, ready to be planted come spring, and a good supply of fresh and packaged food brought in by the Minutemen to keep them going until then.


	17. Cleaning out the Fridge

Piper woke to the sound of giggling. She looked around blearily, wriggled out of the sleeping bag, grabbed her hat and her boots, and walked down the stairs. Nora was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Caleb and Josie, the two children of the new settlement. Piper stopped on the small landing and watched as Nora covered her face with her hands, then suddenly dropped them, to reveal crossed eyes and puffed out cheeks. The two little ones dissolved into giggles.

"'Gain, 'gain!" Josie bounced up and down until Nora obliged by covering her face again, revealing a different hideous grimace that once again provoked raucous laughter from the children.

Piper grinned and stooped to pull on her boots, the movement catching Nora's attention.

"Hey, sleepyhead." She stood, picked up Josie and offered Caleb her hand. "Time for me to go. Let's go find grandpa, OK? I'll be right back," she said to Piper as they passed. 

She was back before Piper had finished tying her shoelaces. Piper looked up. 

"We heading home this morning?"

"I have one more thing I want to do before we leave, if that's OK."

Piper raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"I want to take a walk around the area, see what sorts of dangers there are nearby so they'll know what they might have to deal with."

Piper nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea. I'll be ready to go once I've had some breakfast."

\+ + +

Towards the south, in the next town over, they found a gang of raiders. They took note of the number of raiders and their armaments before retreating and heading east.

Other than a couple of Mirelurks, the east seemed quiet and uninhabited. They made note that it was Mirelurk territory and started to head north when Nora stopped, held a hand out to Piper to make her stop too, and put a finger to her lips, looking around with a frown.

"What is it?" Piper asked after a few moments.

"I thought I heard someone calling for help." She turned in a complete circle, then put her hands up to her mouth. "Hello?"

"Is someone there?"

Piper's eyes widened and she looked towards the voice, but didn't see anyone.

"Get me out of this thing!"

"Sounds like a kid."

Piper nodded.

"Where are you?"

"In here!" They heard a dull thumping and walked towards the sound, till they came across an old refrigerator. Nora tapped lightly on it.

"Is someone in there?"

"Yes. Let me out!"

"OK, hold on." Nora pulled on the handle. It was stuck. "Uh, what's your name, kid?"

"My name is Billy. Please, I've been trapped in here for so long."

She tried a different angle, but still no luck. She turned to Piper.

"Keep him talking."

Piper nodded, and Nora pulled off her pack and dug through it until she found an old tire iron.

"How did you end up in there?"

"I hid in here to get away from the bombs. I heard the sirens, and I tried to find someplace safe. When everything started to shake and fall apart, I just crawled inside. When it got quiet again, I tried to get out, but there isn't a handle on the inside. And it's really dark in here."

Nora was using the tire iron as a pry bar. She looked up in surprise as Billy finished his explanation.

"The bombs were over two hundred years ago. You're that old?"

"I don't know how long I've been in here. A long time, though. A really long time. Please, I don't want to die in here."

"I'm working on it, kid. The handle's rusted." She went back to her pry bar, and after a few more seconds of exertion, turned again to Piper. "Maybe if you push and I pull?" Piper nodded and stood opposite her, with their hands alternating along the length of the bar. On Nora's three count they both heaved and finally the handle broke off, sending Nora and Piper sprawling. They disentangled themselves from each other, and when they looked back at the fridge, they saw that the whole door had fallen off. Sitting inside, with one hand shielding his eyes was a ghoul boy of about twelve.

Billy groaned.

"Ugh, my legs are so stiff! And it's so bright. I haven't seen the sun in so long." He blinked, his eyes slowly adjusting to the light.

"Good thing it's a cloudy day, huh, Blue?" Nora nodded.

The boy started to look around. 

"Everything's so different. I guess I was in there for a really long time. What do I do now?"

"Where did you live, Billy?"

"Quincy. But I don't know how to get there anymore. Everything looks different. I just wanna find out what happened to my Mom and Dad."

Nora knelt in front of him and put a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Look, Billy, I'll try to help you find them, but it's been over two hundred years. They might be dead."

Piper leaned in to whisper angrily.

"Christ! You don't think that talk could wait till the kid gets settled?"

"If they're dead, who's gonna take care of me? You?"

"If they're dead, or if we can't find them, I'll make sure you're taken care of. OK?"

He nodded. She stood and held out a hand to him. He groaned as he stood, stretching out muscles that had been cramped for over two hundred years.

"OK. So, you don't know how to get home from here, but do you remember your address?"

Billy looked around again.

"What difference would it make. Everything's all blown up."

Nora held out her pip boy. 

"I have a pre-war map."

As Billy rattled off his address, Nora opened the map on her pip boy and enlarged Quincy until she could see individual streets.

"OK, I've found your street. What was the nearest cross street to your house?"

He gave her a couple of streets, and she pin pointed the location, and placed a marker. 

"OK. This should get us close. Now, Billy," she turned to the boy, "I'm going to need you to stay close to me and Piper and do what we tell you to. Life isn't like it was before the bombs. There are lots of mean and evil people around, and to get to your old house, we're going to have to go past a whole bunch of them. So, stick with us, do as we say, and stay quiet. OK?"

Billy gulped, eyes wide, but nodded.

"Good boy. OK, let's find your house."

A mile or so down the road, they came across a man in combat armor. He nodded to them pleasantly enough, and eyed Billy with interest.

"Cute kid. Is he for sale?"

Piper gasped, and Nora frowned.

"What? No!"

He shrugged.

"If you change your mind, bring him to my camp." He gave them a location, and continued down the road. 

Billy watched him go, then turned back to Nora.

"You weren't kidding, huh?" She shrugged and shook her head. "Thanks for not selling me."

They stopped on the outskirts of Quincy. Nora left Piper to watch Billy while she snuck a bit closer, and observed the area through her rifle scope. She returned to them and spoke quietly to Piper.

"The place is absolutely crawling with Gunners. No wonder the Minutemen were decimated. We'll have to go around. I think if we hug the coastline we'll be safe." She turned to the boy. "Billy, this is where being quiet gets really important."

He nodded seriously, and they started towards the shore. They had a few close calls, but were able to make it past the Gunners without being spotted. A few hundred yards further along, Billy's eyes lit up, he grabbed Nora's arm and pointed excitedly at a house standing alone in the middle of marshland.

"Is that it?" Nora asked in a low voice.

He nodded.

"OK. Wait here with Piper. I'll go check it out first, just in case…" she glanced at Piper and swallowed the rest of what she'd been about to say. She started off, then returned. "What's your last name, Billy"?

"Peabody."

Nora nodded and walked up to the house. She tapped lightly on the front door, with one hand on her holstered weapon. The door was opened by a ghoul man, holding a pistol. Nora raised her hands.

"Are you Mr Peabody?"

He frowned.

"Who's asking?"

"I found a kid who says he used to live in this house. Says his name is Billy Peabody."

The man's arm dropped and he took a shaky breath.

"Billy?" He looked over her shoulder and saw the boy waiting with Piper. "Billy!" He turned and called over his shoulder. "Carol! Billy's come back!"

Nora turned towards Piper and Billy and waved them forward. Billy dashed forward, but stopped short when he saw his father.

"Dad? What happened to you?" 

A woman joined Mr Peabody on the front steps.

"Billy?"

Mr Peabody put a hand on her arm, holding her back. 

"The radiation changed us." He smiled softly. "Looks like it did the same to you."

"It… it did?" Billy held up his arms, noticing the dry, wrinkled skin for the first time, then ran his hands over his head, feeling the bald scalp.

"Don't worry about it, Billy," his mother said, holding her arms out to him. "It doesn't matter what any of us look like. What matters is we love you."

Billy stepped into his mother's embrace.

"I love you too, Mom."

Mr Peabody wrapped his arms around them both. Nora wiped the sudden moisture from her eyes and stepped quietly off the porch, to give them privacy. She noticed that Piper was also wiping away tears. They turned to leave, but Mr Peabody called out to them.

"Wait, don't leave. We haven't even thanked you for bringing our boy back to us."

They turned back.

"It was our pleasure, Mr Peabody."

"Call me Matt. And my wife is Carol."

"Please, at least have dinner with us."

Nora glanced at Piper, who nodded.

"We'd love to. Thank you."

Over dinner, Billy, Nora and Piper told Billy's parents of his rescue. The Peabody's explained to Billy what it meant to be a ghoul.

"When we realized we weren't getting older anymore, we decided to stay here as long as we could, just in case you came back," his father said.

"And it worked out," his mother added, putting a hand on the back of Billy's head and smiling fondly at him.

"You there, in the house. I want those ghouls, especially that kid!"

Nora and Piper looked at each other, and Billy gasped with fright.

"You can give 'em up peaceful-like, or die trying to save them."

Nora stood, walked to the side of the window and peeked out. She turned back to Piper and nodded.

"It's the same guy, and he brought some friends."

"It's the man that tried to buy me!" Billy wailed.

"What's going on, why do they want Billy?" Carol cried.

Matt stood and squared his shoulders. 

"They won't take him, Carol. Not while I'm alive. Billy, get upstairs."

Nora reached for her rifle, attached the scope, and poked the barrel out through a broken pane in the window. 

"These people are under my protection," she called out, and knelt, putting an eye to the scope. Piper came to stand behind her, pistol ready.

"I'll wear your eyeballs around my neck," came the furious response. Nora saw the man raise his gun, and she took the shot, dropping him with a single bullet through the eye. She looked up from her scope, found another target, aimed again, and dropped him. By the time she looked up again, Piper and Matt had killed the last two, and silence fell again.

She stood and turned to the Peabody's. 

"Even with this lot gone, you'll probably be safer if you leave this place."

"We can't leave," Carol started, but Matt put a hand on her arm.

"There's no reason to stay anymore, Carol. We have our Billy back."

She blinked, and half laughed.

"I've gotten so used to saying it that I almost forgot. But where would we go?"

"The Minutemen are setting up a new settlement in Jamaica Plain. It's not too far. We can escort you there, if you'd like to go."

Matt frowned. 

"But would we be welcome? I know ghouls aren't popular everywhere."

Nora nodded emphatically.

"All peaceable people are welcome in Minutemen settlements. There's only one family there right now. You'd be the second."

Carol and Matt looked at each other, then turned back to Nora and Piper.

"Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It always bugged me that you can't invite the Peabody's to join one of your settlements, so I fixed it.


	18. Giddyup 'n Go

Piper came out of the Peabody's house the next morning to find Nora sitting on the porch steps, staring at her pip boy.

"Problem?"

Nora looked up and shook her head with a smile, scooting to one side to make room for Piper.

"Just considering."

"Considering what?"

"We're not too far from the Atomatoys factory."

Piper smirked.

"Planning some Christmas shopping?"

The sudden bleakness in Nora's eyes made Piper regret the quip as soon as it left her mouth, but before she could try to take it back, Nora was giving her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and shaking her head.

"Someone asked me to get them some parts from the factory if I was ever in the area. Matt said it would take them a day or so to pack up, so I was thinking I might head over there."

Piper shrugged.

"Might as well. We'd probably just be in the way here."

They let the Peabody's know of their plan and headed out shortly thereafter. The factory was only a couple of miles away, but most of the way was through swamp and bog, and finding a dry path that didn't also lead them into Quincy took them a lot longer than expected. 

When they got within sight of the factory, they both swore under their breath. The meat bags and other bloody remains made it obvious that the factory was now a super mutant den. And as they watched, they saw a couple of the grotesque creatures on the roof of the building.

They took what meagre cover the environment offered and Nora pulled her rifle off her shoulder and looked through the scope.

"I need you to spot for me."

"Huh?"

Nora looked up.

"I have a limited field of vision through the scope. As I take each shot, tell me where to aim next. Use the hands of a clock as directions. Twelve is straight ahead, three is to the right, nine to the left. OK?"

Piper nodded.

"Which one are you going for first?"

Nora indicated the mutant on the far right of the building and put her eye to the scope again. She took the shot, and it fell off the building, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. Piper gulped.

"On the roof. Twelve o'clock, moving towards one."

Nora adjusted her aim, took a breath, and squeezed the trigger. The second super mutant fell.

"Ground level, ten o'clock."

Again, the rifle moved, adjusted, a breath, and a shot.

With each shot, there was increasing confusion among the remaining super mutants. Nora and Piper were far enough away that they weren't immediately visible to the creatures, who came tumbling furiously out of the building. They shot wildly in all directions. Nora and Piper were in greater danger of being hit by a stray bullet than of actually being found. 

Within a few minutes, the last of the monsters fell with a cry of rage and confusion on its lips. Nora stood, hung the rifle over her shoulder again and drew her pistol. 

"Let's see if any of them hid away."

Piper cocked her head to the side.

"I don't think they're that smart."

They stopped at each body to make sure they were really dead, and finally, cautiously, made their way into the building, sighing with relief when they found it empty. Nora looked around and chuckled.

"Oh, man, six year old me would have thought she'd died and gone to heaven if she could see this place."

Piper smiled at her.

"Giddyup Buttercup fan, huh?"

Nora nodded, walking next to a conveyor belt full of toy horse parts.

"I was obsessed."

She put her pack on the conveyor belt and started filling it with parts. Piper gave her an odd look.

" _Were_ obsessed? Because I'm getting a definite vibe right now."

Nora wrinkled her nose at her.

"Har har. This is what I was sent to get. Spare parts for a Giddyup Buttercup. If you wanna talk about obsessed, you should meet the guy who gave me the job."

She stuffed a few more parts in her pack, smirking to herself when she saw Piper tie a complete Giddyup Buttercup to her pack. Piper noticed her glance and blushed. 

"For Nat," she muttered.

Nora grinned and nodded, closing her pack and hefting it experimentally. She nodded in satisfaction and slipped her arms through the shoulder straps.

"OK, I'm ready to go."

Piper hefted her own pack and nodded and they started back towards the Peabody's house. As is often the case, the trek back seemed a lot shorter than the outward trip. Billy was excited to hear their story, and awed at the thought of enormous rage-filled green creatures that used to be human.

\+ + +

They spent a couple more days in Jamaica Plain after escorting the Peabody's there, helping them set up quarters above the workshop. Nora watched the strained interactions between the adults over dinner their last night there and turned nervously to Piper.

"I know I told the Peabody's they'd be welcome in a Minutemen settlement, but do you think we made the right choice telling them to leave their home? Neither family looks entirely comfortable."

Piper smiled and patted her arm.

"They'll be fine, Blue. And I don't think the awkwardness is necessarily because the Peabody's are ghouls. Wastelanders keep all strangers at arm's length at first. It's a survival mechanism."

Nora raised an eyebrow.

"That hasn't been my experience."

Piper laughed and bumped her shoulder against Nora's.

"That's because you're not a typical wastelander, Blue. You tend to treat people like friends, and most respond in kind."

"That can't be right, because I was pretty closed off when I met you, and you just invited yourself along to watch my back within like ten minutes of meeting me." 

Piper shrugged.

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly a typical wastelander either. I'm a reporter. Doesn't invalidate my point about you, though." She tapped Nora's arm with her spoon for emphasis, before returning to her bowl for the last spoonful of stew. "So, where do we need to drop off those toy parts?"

"The Slog."

Piper nodded and looked away, chewing thoughtfully on the end of her thumb.

"What?"

"No, nothing. Just…" She sighed and looked back at Nora hesitantly. "Would you like to join me and Nat for Christmas? I don't know what it was like in your day, but now we usually just get together with family and close friends, have some food, play games. We usually have Nick and Ellie over for the day, and Arturo and Nina, and Travis and the Bobrov brothers stop by for a bit. Travis has a Christmas playlist that he sets up ahead of time, and..." She realized she was babbling and stopped to take a breath. "Look, I'll understand if you'd rather be alone, but just know that you don't _have_ to, if you'd rather have company."

Nora looked away.

"I don't know, Pipes, I don't think I'd be very good company."

Piper's face fell, but she nodded.

"Well, the offer stands, if you change your mind."


	19. Survivor's First Christmas

They got back to Diamond City just before dark. Nat hopped off her crate and threw herself at her sister, pelting her with questions about her latest adventures. By the time Piper turned around again, Nora was gone. She sighed and turned back to her little sister.

"Have you had dinner yet, kiddo?" 

Nat shook her head. 

"Come on then." Piper put a hand on her back and led her into the house.

She stopped by the Dugout the next morning.

"Ah, Piper. You are here early today. What will you drink?"

"No, Vadim. I'm just looking for Nora. Is she in?"

"Yefim!" He turned and shouted over his shoulder, and his twin brother poked his head out of the office in response. "Piper is looking for Nora."

Yefim stepped out of the office shaking his head.

"She is not here. She came by last night, picked up the things she had left behind, paid her bill and left. I do not know where she went."

Piper frowned and nodded.

"Thanks, Yefim."

\+ + +

Nora walked into the County Crossing settlement around mid-morning. It had been some time since she'd last been there, and the place had grown. There were two new families in the area now, in addition to the couple that had been living there originally.

She spent the rest of the afternoon with the settlers, helping with a couple of ongoing projects. Though she kept telling herself that keeping a Minutemen presence in the settlements was necessary to the group's growth, she knew that she was really doing this as a way of avoiding her thoughts.

Her family hadn't been religious, but Christmas had been a big deal to them. It was the only time of year all the siblings got together again, after going their separate ways when they reached adulthood. The thought of Christmas without them threatened to break her in a way even Nate's death hadn't managed to do.

So, she had rebuffed Piper's invitation and slipped away alone to deliver the parts to Arlen at the Slog, and to make an impromptu patrol of the other settlements in the area while she was at it. Just stay busy, don't stop, and keep it together.

After spending the rest of the day at County Crossing, and the next day at Finch Farm, she finally made her way up to the Slog. Arlen's eyes lit up when she entered his little workshop.

"You're back! Were you able to find those parts?"

She smiled and knelt next to her pack, pulling out the parts she had collected at the factory. 

"Got them right here."

He gasped in delight.

"Let me take a look. Yes, it's all here!"

To Nora's surprise, he sounded like he was about to cry. He picked up the parts and arrayed them on his workbench, then suddenly wiped his nose with the back of his hand and cleared his throat.

"Here's the payment I promised you. I should get back to work."

Nora picked up her pack and started for the door, but hesitated.

"Arlen?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you so intent on rebuilding this one toy?"

He stiffened slightly, then turn to her with an unconvincing smile. 

"Well, it's a genuine Giddyup Buttercup. The 2076 special edition. It was the best toy on the market before the war."

She watched as he nervously rearranged the items on his workbench, glancing up at her every so often, then his face fell and he sighed.

"I designed this toy. Before the war. I wanted to make toys that my daughter would love." He laughed bitterly. "I should have been spending time with her instead. I lost her, and my wife, in the bombs. When I got home that day, there was a crater where my house had been. I laid down in it, hoping I would die and join them. Instead, I woke up like this." He indicated his desiccated skin. 

Nora swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

"I'm sorry, Arlen. I can understand that feeling. I lost my family that day too." At his surprised look, she continued. "We were cryogenically frozen in one of the vaults. To me it feels like the bombs fell just a few months ago."

He turned back to the workbench and ran a gentle hand over the toy horse. "This feels like my only connection to Marlene. Like, if I can get this working again, I'll have a piece of her back."

He sighed and shook his head, then turned and patted her gently on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about me. I'm just an old man with a foolish idea." His gaze suddenly sharpened. "Don't be like me. Don't let obsession consume you. Allow yourself to grieve and move on. Hold on to new friends, build a new family. They'll bring you through it."

Nora sniffled and wiped a tear off her cheek. She nodded and reached out to hug him.

"Thanks, Arlen. Merry Christmas."

He pulled back.

"Is it Christmas?"

"Christmas Eve."

"Then what are you doing here? Why aren't you with that nice young woman you were with last time you were here?"

She laughed shakily.

"I didn't think I'd be very good company in my present mood."

"Maybe not, but you'll be in a better mood than you would be moping out here by yourself. Go be with your friends. Trust a foolish old man, and learn from my mistakes."

She gave a little laugh and nodded.

"Maybe you're right."

\+ + +

Nora made it as far as County Crossing before night drew in, and to Diamond City around mid-morning on Christmas day. She hesitated outside Publick Occurrences, listening to the voices and laughter coming from the other side of the door, before knocking hesitantly.

The expression of delight on Piper's face when she opened the door to find her there brought tears to Nora's eyes, and Piper immediately pulled her into a tight hug. 

"I'm glad you came."

Nora nodded silently and pulled back, trying to surreptitiously wipe away her tears as the others gathered around the door as well.

"They don't make egg nog these days, but here's a decent replacement." Nick handed her a mug. "It's just rum," he continued sardonically. "The best part of the egg nog." She laughed and Nick patted her shoulder. "Good to see you, kiddo."

As Piper pulled her into the house and closed the door behind her, Nora allowed her friends' affection to wash over her, from Vadim Bobrov's ferocious bear hug, that threatened to spill her rum, to Ellie's gentler hug, to Nat's excited wave from where she was sitting playing a game of Blast Radius with Nina.

As everyone returned to their seats, she felt Piper's arm around her shoulders pulling her closer.

"Merry Christmas, Blue."


	20. My Funny Valentine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a certain song comes on the radio.

They had stopped for the night at Graygarden where Blue and her Minutemen had built a guard barracks and guest house on the overpass above the greenhouse after the robots had pledged to support the Minutemen.

She, Blue and Nick had been pursuing another lead on a set of power armor, and this time, they had been successful. The armor had been behind a terminal-locked door in a train car along the tracks north of Graygarden, and Nick had come along because he was the best hacker they knew.

Mission successful, the three of them were now taking advantage of the accommodations. The place had beds, an indoor stove, and even a bathroom with a shower, fed from a tank on the roof. No hot water, but that was the only drawback.

Piper and Blue had both taken advantage of the facilities and were now lounging in the common room, hair still damp, listening to Diamond City Radio and chatting quietly with Nick. Well, Piper and Nick were chatting. Blue was sprawled on the couch next to Piper, by all appearances half asleep, when she suddenly started chuckling.

Piper and Nick looked at her in bemusement.

“Something funny, kiddo?” the synth asked her.

“It’s your song!” Blue leaped off the couch and turned up the volume on the radio. Bing Crosby was singing My Funny Valentine.

“Dance with me, Nick!” She held out her hands to the old detective, who chuckled dryly and complied. 

“Haven’t danced in a while, kid. I’m a little rusty. Hope I don’t step on your toes.”

Piper curled her legs up on the couch, propped her elbow on the backrest and rested her head on her hand, watching them with a smile. It was nice to see Blue smiling and enjoying herself. She tended to push herself too hard and in too many directions at once, between working with the Minutemen, helping Nick with his case backlog, the scavenging and merc work and her worry over Shaun. A little distraction would be good for her.

Nick pulled Blue towards him, and put a hand on her waist. She placed her free hand on his shoulder and they started moving around the room. Piper saw that, despite his protests, Nick danced gracefully, and Blue, well, Blue could look graceful butchering a mole rat, much less swaying across a dance floor. After a few bars, Blue started to sing along.

_“You make me smile with my heart.”_

Her voice was clear and sweet, and she could obviously carry a tune.

_“Your looks are laughable, un-photographable, yet you’re my favorite work of art.”_

Blue smiled up at Nick as they continued turning around the room, her voice getting stronger as she continued.

_“Is your figure less than Greek? Is your mouth a little weak? When you open it to speak, are you smart?”_

Piper was mesmerized. She had heard that song a thousand times – hard not to, Travis had a limited repertoire – but it had never affected her this way before.

_“But don’t change a hair for me, not if you care for me. Stay little Valentine, stay.”_

Piper shivered, her arms breaking out in goosebumps, her eyes suddenly prickling with tears.

_“Each day is Valentine’s Day.”_

As the song wound down, Blue hugged Nick tightly and kissed his cheek. Piper took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. Crying over a song? What was wrong with her?

“Thanks for humoring me, Nick,” Blue said as she pulled away and returned to sit next to Piper on the couch. “I’ve liked that song since I played Billie in Babes in Arms when I was in middle school.”

“Not a problem, kiddo. The old Nick always did like dancing, and I guess I don’t mind it either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this song isn't actually in Travis' repertoire, but it's the right time period and the idea tickled me.


	21. Sights and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroines get one step closer to their goal.

Piper was having dinner at Power Noodles when Nora and MacCready returned from their expedition to the Glowing Sea. She watched as Nora exited her power armor near the repair frame by the vacant house on the other side of the market square, spoke to MacCready, and took a few things from him. As he left, she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. 

Piper left her bowl of noodles and made her way towards her friend.

"Hey, Blue. You made it."

Nora's eyes opened. She looked drained, exhausted, but she smiled when she saw Piper and reached out to hug her.

"It's nice to see someone who isn't trying to kill me."

"Well, it's nice to see you didn't get killed."

Nora laughed, and pulled out of the embrace. 

"So, how'd it go? Did you find Virgil? Did he know how to get you into the Institute?"

Nora smiled. "Full reporter mode, huh? I'll tell you all about it, Pipes, but can we sit down? I'm beat."

"Yeah, sure, of course. Sorry, Blue." Piper turned to lead Nora back to Publick Occurrences, but Nora turned to open the door of the vacant house.

"Wait, did you buy this place?"

"Yeah, I got tired of bunking at the Dugout."

After they got settled on the couch, Nora started telling her story.

"So, the reason Virgil chose the Glowing Sea as his hideout? Turns out he's a super mutant."

"Wait, what? The Institute had a super mutant scientist?"

"No, he was working with the virus that created the super mutants and infected himself in protest, or something. I didn't really get all the details. He had a cure, but he left it behind in his hurry to leave. He wants me to grab it for him, if I can make it into the Institute."

"About that, did he know how to get you in?"

Nora sighed and rubbed a hand across her face.

"It's going to be a complicated process, starting with finding and killing a Courser, some sort of next-level synth cop. They have an implant that connects them to the teleporter. The idea is to hijack the signal, but that all comes after I can get my hands on one of the implants. Have you ever heard of Coursers?"

Piper shook her head. 

"Apparently they only get sent out to retrieve runaways."

"How was the rest of the trip? Did you have much trouble?"

Nora laughed. "Let's just say it was very not fun. We ran into several packs of feral ghouls, two deathclaws and some ginormous scorpions. Nobody warned me about the scorpions!" she finished plaintively.

Piper hid a smile behind her hand. Tired and cranky Nora was positively adorable. 

"You really do have a talent for finding trouble, don't you?"

Nora grunted. "It usually finds me."

"Hey, I'm not one to judge. In my line of work, I'm constantly getting into trouble."

Piper started to tell Nora about some of her more hair raising adventures. Nora curled up against the back of the couch, facing her, mostly listening, but occasionally commenting or asking a question. 

"You've led an exciting life."

Piper nodded.

"Sure have. But honestly, now that I've been out here with you, I feel like I'm just getting started. Getting in trouble… it's what folks like us do. I mean, you and I are out there, putting ourselves at risk so people in the Commonwealth can have a chance at a better life. Not for praise, or reward, or glory. But because it's right. I just wanted to let you know I'm real happy to be along for the ride."

Nora smiled softly.

"I wouldn't want it any other way. I like having you close."

Piper felt a whole body shiver pass through her. Wait. Was she…? She wasn't… flirting with her, was she? No, Piper decided. Of course not. Nora was just being friendly, and Piper was projecting her own confused emotions onto her.

"Oh. Uh, thanks, Blue. That's, that's awfully sweet… and unexpected of you. So, uh, what do you plan to do next?"

Nora yawned hugely.

"My immediate plans involve a bed, and lots of sleep. After that, I was planning on heading up to Sanctuary Hills for a day or two. I… have something I need to do. Would you like to come with me?" she asked tentatively. "There won't be any excitement, I hope, but I'd like the company."

"Wild horses, Blue. You come and find me when you're ready to head out. Sleep tight." She patted Nora's shoulder as she stood and headed out.

Piper hadn't been back to Sanctuary Hills in several weeks, and the changes surprised her. The debris from the destroyed homes had been removed from their foundations, and piled neatly in one corner of the settlement, ready to be re-used. New buildings were being raised on the cleared foundations, and the existing buildings now looked thoroughly weatherproof. They had also started building a wall around the entire little island that housed the settlement. Piper saw several new faces as they walked towards the center of the little community, including a couple of children. 

"The place is really growing."

Nora nodded. "They all are. It's a balancing act. Having more people makes us more of a target, but it also means more hands to help out and to guard."

They dropped their packs at Nora's house, and as they came back out, Piper caught sight of a caravan hand she had met in Bunker Hill.

"Hey, Blue. I'll be right back, OK?"

Nora nodded. "I'm going to go talk with Preston, and then I have an errand to run. Meet you back here?"

Piper nodded and headed off. She spent the next half hour or so chatting with the traders and caravan hands, and introducing herself to some of the new settlers and getting their opinions on the new Minutemen and the changes in the Commonwealth. Nora wasn't back when she returned to the house, so she stepped out to look for her, saw her entering the house in the center of the settlement, and went after her. 

She stopped short in the doorway. Nora was crouching next to Mama Murphy's chair. The old woman had a Jet inhaler in her hand, and had obviously just taken a hit. Nora was listening intently as she spoke. She stood to leave when Mama Murphy finished speaking, but stopped, flushing, when she saw Piper watching.

Nora walked past her without speaking and across the street to her house. Piper followed and closed the door behind them.

"Did you just give that woman drugs?" she asked incredulously.

Nora wouldn't meet her eyes, but she nodded.

"Why? What were you thinking?"

Nora scrubbed her hands through her hair.

"I just… I need all the help I can get… with the Courser, and getting into the Institute and finding Shaun." 

"How does getting an old woman high help you, Blue?"

Nora started picking at the seam of her pack on the counter. "She, uh… she has the Sight. But only when she's high."

Piper just shook her head. "Blue." She let her disappointment show in her voice.

Nora nodded, head bowed. "I know." Her voice cracked. "I just, sometimes I feel like I'm never going to find him."

"Dammit, Blue, you're better than this." She sighed.

Nora nodded and kept fiddling with her pack.

"Hey." Piper reached out and touched Nora's arm, waiting till Nora looked up at her before continuing. "We're going to find him, OK?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Piper disliked that."
> 
> Oh, god, I'm sorry! *reloads previous save*


	22. Follow the Freedom Trail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines take a walking tour of Boston.

Blue and Piper had followed Virgil's instructions and had tracked down a Courser at Greentech Genetics. The place had been full of Gunners, but thanks to the Courser ahead of them, at least half had already been dead, making their path to the top of the building a bit easier.

When they reached the top, they heard the Courser interrogating some Gunner prisoners for information. Piper braced herself for the confrontation, but Blue touched her arm to get her attention, then leaned close to whisper.

"Weapon ready, but follow my lead."

She walked into the room. The Courser turned to them as they entered.

"Are you here for the synth?" His voice was monotone, and it made the hair on Piper's neck stand up.

Blue spoke without hesitation. "Z2-47, initialize factory reset. Authorization code Zeta-5-3-kilo."

"How… did you…" the courser stuttered, then collapsed to the floor.

Blue took a deep breath, and raised a trembling hand to her face. Piper stared at her wide-eyed.

"How did you do that?"

"It's what Mama Murphy told me to say." Her voice, like her hand, trembled slightly.

Piper blinked. "I… wow."

"Yeah."

\+ + +

Virgil had told Blue that she would need to crack the encryption on the chip before he could use it, so they had taken it to Doctor Amari. She had been unable to help them, but had suggested they contact the Railroad, the shadowy organization that helped runaway synths evade the Institute. Amari and Piper had both agreed that the only clue anyone had to the Railroad's whereabouts was the code phrase 'Follow the Freedom Trail'.

She and Blue puzzled over the meaning of the phrase over dinner at the Third Rail.

"What if it's not a code? What if they mean it literally?" Blue asked after a while. "Because if it's not literal, we really don't have much to go on."

"Of all the places I hoped never to go to again, Boston Common was number one on my list."

Blue raised her hands defensively.

"Hey, you're the one that told me to 'follow the Freedom Trail.'"

Piper groaned. "Don't remind me."

They started out at first light and approached the entrance to the Common quietly. 

There was a hand-painted sign on a piece of plywood leaning by the entrance. Blue read it aloud

"At journey's end follow freedom's lantern. Huh." She looked up at Piper. "I walked the Trail once before, on a school trip. Each location along the trail is marked with one of these seals." She pointed to the one in front of them, then frowned and dropped to one knee next to it.

"Look at this."

Piper leaned over her shoulder and saw that someone had painted an arrow pointing to the letter A in Trail, and a number 7 in the center of the seal.

Blue stood up. "Well, guess we should follow the Freedom Trail." 

They turned to the right and followed the red-tiled path around the Common until they reached the old Massachusetts State House.

"This seal's been marked too. 4L. Hey, Pipes, d'you have your notebook with you?"

Piper rolled her eyes and Blue grinned. "My deepest apologies. What I meant to ask was, would you mind keeping track of these, oh Mistress of Words?"

Piper stuck her tongue out at Blue, and wrote down the first two number-letter combinations they had found.

The path got harder to follow after that, getting lost under rubble a few times. They had to fight off feral ghouls outside the Old Granary Burying Ground and outside the Old Corner Bookstore, which also attracted the attention of a raider camp nearby. They ended up pelting up the street toward Faneuil Hall to take cover from a hail of grenades the raiders tossed at them.

They paused to catch their breath, listening for pursuit. Blue poked her head around to the corner, but it appeared the raiders had been happy to merely harass them, and had chosen not to leave their camp once they retreated.

"Shit."

Blue turned back to Piper. 

"What's wrong, Pipes?"

Piper gestured towards Faneuil Hall.

"Super mutants."

"Crap." Blue dug in her pack for a moment and pulled out a scope she had taken from a raider rifle and used it to get a closer view of the area.

"I see one out front, and two down the side of the building. The trail goes down the opposite side. If we can take out the one in front, we might be able to sneak past the others."

As she spoke, she dug in her pack again and pulled out a suppressor she had made with Sturges' help the last time she'd been in Sanctuary Hills and fitted it to her pistol. They crept closer to the end of the alleyway, keeping to the shadows.

Blue went down on one knee, raised her pistol, aimed carefully, took a breath and put a bullet in the mutant's eye. It fell with a thump and they waited for a moment, but heard no reaction from the two down the side of the building.

Blue silently indicated to Piper that she should start for the side of the building while Blue went to find the code on the seal. 5R. She quickly caught up to Piper and they continued their creeping way along the trail until they were out of sight and earshot of the mutants.

The remainder of the trail was positively boring, by comparison, and they reached the Old North Church, the end of the trail, without further incident. As Piper wrote down the code from its seal, 1R, Blue looked up at the building.

"Pipes, look." She walked up the steps and touched the image of a lantern chalked next to the door. "At journey's end follow freedom's lantern. I guess we're supposed to go inside."

"What about these?" Piper waved her notebook and Blue went back down the steps to her.

"Faneuil Hall was 5R." She watched over Piper's shoulder as she wrote it down, then they both stared at the codes for a few moments. 

"Railroad!" They both spoke at the same time, and then laughed.

"But what are we supposed to do with the code?" Blue asked her.

Piper shrugged. "Maybe we'll find out after we follow the lantern into the church."

They entered cautiously. As they paused to listen, they heard shuffling and pattering noises. 

"Ferals," Piper whispered in Blue's ear.

They made quick work of the shambling creatures and when the church was clear, Blue turned on the light on her pip boy so they could try to figure out where to go next. As they looked around, Piper caught a flash of white in the front corner of the hall. 

"Shine that light over here, Blue." 

As Blue came closer, the light revealed another chalked lantern on the collapsed balcony, with a door just barely visible beyond it.

They slipped through the door, through a corridor and down a set of stairs into the catacombs, following splashes of fluorescent paint. Blue suddenly started laughing quietly. Piper looked at her curiously. 

"What's the joke?" 

"Underground Railroad. Like literally underground." 

Piper rolled her eyes, but was unable to hold back a smile.

"Time and a place, Blue!"

Blue grinned. "Sorry." They continued through the catacombs, encountering a few more feral ghouls, fortunately one at a time, and easily dispatched. 

After several twists and turns, Blue's pip boy light revealed a Freedom Trail seal on the wall, with a power cabled attached to it and disappearing into the wall next to it. On the floor in front of that section of wall was another chalked lantern.

"Look, another painted arrow, but no code on this one." 

Blue put a finger on the red arrow on the seal, and then pulled it back in surprise.

"It moved." 

Upon further examination, they found that the outer ring of the seal spun freely, and the center could be pressed in. 

Piper held up her notebook questioningly. "Railroad?" 

Blue nodded, and started spinning the outer ring to spell the word Railroad, pressing the center after aligning each letter with the red arrow. After entering the D, the wall in front of the chalked lantern started moving aside, with a grinding noise.

They stepped into the newly revealed corridor and stopped suddenly, blinded by a sudden light.

"Stop right there," said a voice from beyond the light.


	23. The Railroad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines meet the Railroad

Once Piper's eyes adjusted to the brightness, she could see that they were in a larger chamber, with a sunken section in the center. Facing them from the raised section across from them were three people: a young white-haired woman toting a minigun; a man in a newsboy cap pointing a pistol at them; and a middle-aged redheaded woman, unarmed. She spoke, and Piper realized it was she who had challenged them.

"You went through a lot of effort to arrange this meeting. But before we go any further, answer my questions. Who the hell are you?"

Blue stepped up to the edge of their platform. "I followed the Freedom Trail looking for the Railroad. I'm not your enemy."

"If that's true, you have nothing to fear." The woman sounded unconvinced. "Who told you how to contact us?"

"Doctor Amari, in Goodneighbor, told me how to find you."

"Very interesting. Last question. Why are you here?"

Blue hesitated a moment, as though considering her words. "I need a Courser Chip decoded."

The woman appeared stunned, and Piper saw the other two exchange a surprised glance. "You have what? This is not a joking matter."

A fourth person entered the room from behind the other three, a man in sunglasses with a greaser hair-do. "I didn't know we were having a party. What gives with my invitation?" He glanced across the room. "Oh, I see you invited the Courser-killer. Nice."

The woman looked at him sternly. "Deacon, you're late. You're saying this intruder actually killed a Courser? Singlehandedly?" She gave a half smile. "That'd give even Glory a run for her money."

She raised an eyebrow at the white-haired woman.

"News flash, boss, this lady is kind of a big deal. Dez, seriously, you haven't heard of her? She's the leader of the Minutemen. Seems like the whole Commonwealth is flying her flag. And as if that wasn't enough," he turned to speak to Blue, "the Railroad owes you a crate, hell, a truckload of Nuka Cola for what you did to Kellogg. He was our public enemy number one." He turned back to the woman. "If you're done interrogating her, you might want to show this Courser-murdering machine a little courtesy. Just a thought."

The woman looked thoughtfully at Blue. "I owe you an apology. Anyone who kills a Courser is good in my book. I'm Desdemona and I'm the leader of the Railroad."

Deacon spoke to Desdemona urgently. "Dez, we need to let her in. She's got an intact Courser Chip, for god's sake."

She shook her head. "That violates our security protocols."

Deacon tossed his hands up in the air. "To hell with that. She killed a Courser. There's no way she's working for the Institute."

Desdemona thought for a few moments, then nodded. 

"We're letting you into our headquarters. You're the first outsider ever to be given this privilege. We'll discuss the details about your chip inside. Your companion will need to wait out here."

Blue had started to cross to the other side of the room, but now she stopped.

"I'm not going anywhere without her. She comes with me, or I leave."

Piper gaped at her, then leaned in to whisper. 

"Blue, it's fine. I don't mind."

Blue put a hand on her arm to stop her.

"I wouldn't have gotten this far without her, including reaching that Courser. She's coming with me."

Desdemona looked between the two of them, then sighed, nodded and turned to leave the room.

"Decoding a Courser Chip is a very delicate operation. A million things can go wrong – the least of which is losing the data. Fortunately, we have the right man for the job."

She led them through a door into a larger chamber, full of stone coffins, some without lids, their original occupants still inside. In one corner of the room were a couple of terminals and several workbenches. A young man with a scraggly beard and goggles perched on his forehead was working at one of the benches. He looked up as they approached.

"Hi, Dez. You need something?"

"Tom, our visitor here has a Courser Chip."

His eyes lit up like someone had just given him a birthday present. "Whoa! For real? Oh man, it's been ages."

Desdemona turned to Blue. "Right, some ground rules. Tom can get you the code, but once he's done, we get the Courser Chip."

"Why do you want the Courser Chip?"

"Institute tech is light years beyond what we have. And a Courser Chip is top of the line. I'm not going to get into details, but that chip could help us save lives. Maybe throw a wrench in some of the Institute's operations. So, hand over the chip."

Blue nodded. "Fine, it's yours. All I need is the unencrypted data."

"All right, Tom. Make it happen."

Tom took the chip and connected it to his terminal with a number of clips and wires. He leaned over the keyboard, typing so quickly, his fingers were almost a blur, and muttering to himself, or perhaps to the terminal or the chip as he worked. 

It took quite a while, and Piper was considering finding a seat, when she heard Tom laugh triumphantly.

"We got it! I'll just transfer this data to a holotape."

Finally he straightened up and handed the holotape to Blue.

"Good work, Tom," Desdemona said. "And you," looking at Blue, "I'd love to work with you more. Let me know if you're interested." 

Blue looked surprised for a moment, then nodded cautiously.

"But to be crystal clear, if you use that data and discover _anything_ involving the Institute, you share it with us first. Otherwise, our relationship will be in jeopardy."

Blue nodded again, and shook hands with Desdemona.

"Thank you for your help."

She beckoned to Piper, and they retraced their steps to the church.

"So what's next?" Piper asked as they stepped back out into the sunlight.

"Back to the Glowing Sea." Blue grimaced. "Another two days in that tin can."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of talking, and lots of in-game dialogue.


	24. Taking Independence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines have some seafood.

They had stopped at Goodneighbor on their way back to Diamond City, to let MacCready know his services would be needed again, but ended up having to leave a message for him with Whitechapel Charlie, since he was out on another job.

A day later, with no response from MacCready, Piper had suggested that Nora check in with Preston and the other Minutemen. Nora was obviously restless, and had needed a distraction, and now they had one with a vengeance.

Preston had convinced Nora that they finally had enough support to retake the Castle – or Fort Independence, as Nora still called it. They had met up with Preston and a group of Minutemen in an old diner near the fort. There had been some discussion as to what the best plan of attack would be. Nora had remained silent, listening to all the suggestions, then shook her head.

"I think I need to go do some recon. 'Monster from the sea' sounds very poetic, but I'd like to know what we're actually up against."

Nora glanced at Piper, and walked out of the diner. Piper took that as an invitation to follow, and hurried after her. 

The Castle stood on a slight elevation, which added to its defensibility, but made recon more difficult. There were, however, a number of wrecked vehicles around the perimeter of the fort, and by clambering up on a large truck, they were able to get enough height to get a look into the courtyard. Nora pulled out her rifle scope and looked through it for a few moments, then passed it to Piper. 

"Mirelurks."

Piper put the scope to her eye and nodded.

"I hate those things."

They returned to the diner, and explained what they had found. They decided that the best plan would be to split the group and come at them from both sides at once, with Nora and Piper providing backup to whichever group seemed to need it most.

The attack started well. The Mirelurks were vicious, but they were unthinking beasts, and could be herded in ways that gave the attackers an advantage, for example, up a mound of rubble, giving them access to the vulnerable underbellies. 

There were a number of egg clutches scattered throughout the fort, and the Mirelurk hatchlings in them proved to be just as aggressive as their adult counterparts, but much easier to dispose of. 

The last of the Mirelurks had been dispatched, and the group was gathered in the center of the courtyard, bandaging wounds and congratulating each other, when they felt the ground tremble and heard a high-pitched screeching sound. As they looked towards the sound, they saw a massive shelled head rising above the Castle walls.

Piper blanched. "Blue, it's a Queen! Acid attack!"

Nora immediately turned to the Minutemen.

"Everyone inside the walls, now!"

There was a mad dash for the nearest doorways as the huge creature clambered over a broken section of wall into the courtyard. 

Piper reached the passage inside the walls and looked back to see Nora, a few steps behind her, pulling a bottlecap mine from her belt, priming it and tossing it towards the queen. As she turned to join the others within the walls, the queen released a stream of acid. Nora cried out in pain as the edge of the stream hit her arm.

The entire group converged on her as she collapsed through the doorway. 

"Further in," she gasped. "Need to get further in."

"Preston, help me get her into one of those inner rooms."

They got Nora into the nearest room, and heard the explosion of the bottlecap mine. The queen screeched, the sound drilling through their brains. One of the Minutemen went back out to the passageway and returned a few moments later. "It's still alive, but it took some damage."

Piper had gotten Nora into a rickety chair and cut the remains of the sleeve off her shirt, and was flushing the burn on her arm with can after can of purified water. Nora's breath was ragged, but she continued giving directions.

"Spread out through the passages. Use mines and grenades. I think I saw a missile launcher in one of the other rooms when we were clearing the egg clutches. Use that too, and other distance weapons. Don't take chances, wait till it's looking away from you before attacking and pull back into cover if it turns towards you. Nobody leaves the passages till it's dead."

The Minutemen nodded.

"You heard the General," Preston said. "Move out!"

Piper poured her last can of purified water over the wound, and then injected her with a stimpak and some med-x.

"How does it look, Pipes?"

Piper tried for a light tone. "You're going to need a new shirt."

Nora gave a soft huff of laughter, then looked towards the door, as silence fell. She tried to stand up, but Piper placed a firm hand on her uninjured shoulder and pushed her back down into the chair. 

"I haven't finished. They can come and report to you here." She started covering the wound with a light bandage. Preston re-entered the room looking triumphant. 

"We did it, General, and no further casualties."

Nora sighed and nodded. "Good. Well done. Have them do a thorough sweep of the fort to make sure we didn't miss any of the creatures."

Preston nodded, and made as if to leave.

"Preston?"

He turned back to her. "General?"

"Are Mirelurks edible?"

He nodded.

"Then once they've finished the sweep, assign a team to butchering the carcasses, and another to setting up a smoker so we can preserve the meat. We'll keep half of it here for the garrison, and they can take the rest back to their settlements."

Preston nodded again and headed back out.

The Minutemen spent the rest of the day clearing the remains of the Mirelurks and their nests out of the inner rooms of the Castle, and setting up a generator to power the radio tower. Piper spent the rest of the day convincing Nora that her help was _not_ needed except in a supervisory role.

\+ + +

Piper woke up in the middle of the night, and as she shifted to make herself more comfortable, she noticed that Nora's bedroll was empty. She got up, put on her boots, grabbed her coat and headed out into the courtyard. There was no sign of Nora, so she went up the stairs onto the top of the walls. Though there was no moon that night, the stars gave her more than enough light to pick her way along. She found Nora sitting on the edge of one of the old artillery emplacements and sat down next to her.

"Was your arm bothering you?"

Nora shook her head.

"I still can't get used to the stars."

"What do you mean? There were stars in your time."

"Yeah, but we could only see the brightest of them. There was too much light in the cities. Even on camping trips outside of the city, I never saw this many."

They sat quietly for a few minutes. Eventually, Nora spoke again.

"I've been wanting to talk to you."

Piper's heart seemed to flutter. "What about?"

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I need you to know."

"OK."

"I… Look, Pipes, I like you. A lot." She started speaking very quickly. "I don't know if it will develop into something deeper, or if you'd even reciprocate, but just in case, I want to be up front and honest. I told you a few weeks ago that I was gay, and that's true. But what I didn't tell you is that I'm also asexual." She paused.

"What does that mean?"

"Broadly, it means that I don't feel sexual attraction."

"You… you've never had sex?"

"A handful of times, when I was younger and trying to figure myself out. It was…" she shrugged, "pleasant enough in the moment, but I don't crave it, the way I understand others do."

"But... you do feel love? Romance?"

Nora nodded. "Yeah, and I do enjoy sensual, non-sexual intimacy, like hand-holding, kissing, cuddling." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I know not everyone's interested in being with someone who doesn't want to have sex, so I've found it's better to say it early on, in case they need an out. G'night, Pipes."

She stood up and went back inside, leaving Piper alone with her thoughts. The one thought that kept playing through her mind on repeat was _"Blue has feelings for me."_ She smiled, feeling suddenly like a thirteen-year-old with her first crush.


	25. Old Guns

Nora stuck her shovel in the pile of rubble, put her hands on her lower back and stretched, biting back a groan.

"S'cuse me, kid, d'you know where I can find the new general?"

Nora turned and found herself face to face with a grizzled middle aged woman in a Minutemen uniform.

"You've found her."

The woman gave her a hard look, glanced at the piles of rubble, gravel and sand surrounding her, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Nice to see you're not afraid to get your hands dirty." She held a hand out to Nora and shook it briskly when Nora returned the gesture. "Name's Ronnie Shaw, former Commonwealth Minuteman. Left after Joe Becker got himself killed and the idjits took over."

"I'm Nora. What can I do for you, Ronnie?"

"It's more what I can do for you. I've heard some good things about what you've been doing. Wouldn't be here otherwise."

"We can always use more experienced soldiers."

Ronnie gave a bark of laughter.

"Yeah, you're not kidding."

Nora put a hand on her shovel.

"Mind if I keep working while we talk?"

Ronnie nodded.

"You know, I'm probably the only one who remembers this, but there's more to this place than you can see. There used to be a whole network of underground passages. Might be worthwhile seeing if they're still accessible. The old armory's down there too. There could be some useful stuff."

Nora stopped and leaned on the shovel handle.

"Did you just come to give advice, or are you planning on rejoining? Either way, I welcome your help, but we could really use someone with your experience full time."

Ronnie gave her a grim smile.

"At least you're not an idjit."

Nora wiped sweat off her forehead and laughed.

"At the very least, I try to surround myself with people who aren't. So, are you in or not?"

"Yeah, I'm in."

Nora nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. If you're up for it, I'd like to put you in charge of the Castle. The plan is to make it Minutemen headquarters again, but there's a lot of work to be done, starting with getting the radio working and patching the walls."

"You won't be staying, then?"

Nora shook her head.

"I have to… my son was kidnapped. Finding him is my priority."

Ronnie's face softened.

"I'm sorry to hear that, General. You can count on me."

At Ronnie's suggestion, they went on a tour of the Castle. Ronnie was pleased to see that the main door leading to the armory was still sealed.

"Only problem is, that can only be opened from inside. So, we'll have to get to it through the tunnels. Entrance to those is through the General's quarters."

They found Piper in the General's quarters. It was the only room with a table and chairs, and she was using the space to organize her notes after interviewing the new recruits.

"Hey, Pipes. Ronnie, this is my friend Piper. She's a reporter from Diamond City." She turned to Piper. "Ronnie used to be in the Minutemen back in the day, and she's agreed to rejoin and take charge of the Castle."

Piper stood and walked towards Ronnie with her hand outstretched.

"I'd love to interview you for this article I'm writing about the Minutemen, if you have the time."

Ronnie cleared her throat.

"Hmm… well, we'll see." She turned away and surveyed one of the walls. "Well, the steps down to the tunnel were there. Looks like several generations' worth of Mirelurk nests and droppings in the way."

"We'll get a team in here to clear it out, then we can see if the tunnels are still accessible."

Piper had come to stand next to them.

"There are tunnels under here?"

"Yep. Used to be used for storage and overflow barracks, for those that didn't mind being underground."

Piper pulled out her notebook and pen. 

"How many Minutemen were garrisoned here back then?"

Nora smiled and slipped out of the room to find some recruits to help her clear the tunnel.

\+ + +

They finished clearing the staircase down to the tunnels within a couple of days. Ronnie led the way in, followed by Nora, Piper and Preston, and a few curious recruits. A short way into the tunnels, Ronnie stopped and knelt.

"Frag mines. Looks like whoever sealed up the armory set some defenses."

They moved slowly through the tunnels, deactivating mines as they went. The recruits murmured to each other as they caught glimpses of shelves full of ammunition and supplies. Ronnie stood with a deactivated mine in one hand and held up the other for silence. She handed the mine off to Nora, moved to the end of the corridor and peeked around the corner.

"Well, I'll be damned," she whispered. "I'd never have guessed Sarge would still be down here."

They heard a whirring, and an electronic voice over it.

"Comparing intruder to known Minutemen roster."

Ronnie turned back to the others.

"Don't worry, it's one of ours."

Piper and Nora peeked around the corner next to Ronnie and saw a Sentry bot gearing up.

"Error. File corruption detected. Initiating defensive protocols."

"Jiminy cricket! He's on the fritz! Look out!"

They pulled back around the corner, as the bot's minuguns started spattering the area with bullets.

"If any of you know anything about computers, we passed his control terminal not too long ago!"

Nora dashed to the terminal, and was relieved to find that, not only was it still in working order, but that there was no password required to access it. She quickly entered the command to shut down the robot, and silence fell as its miniguns spun down. They rejoined Ronnie next to the robot.

"Too bad Sarge went haywire. He's been guarding the Castle since… forever, far as I know."

"I have a friend who's pretty handy. I'll see if we can get him to take a look at Sarge and get him up and running again."

Ronnie patted the big bot and moved past it to a terminal.

"Let's see. I used to know this password." 

She typed in a few different ones before she got the right one, and the door next to her clicked open.

"Come on. We're almost through." She stepped through the door and stopped. Nora and Piper looked over her shoulder and saw the skeleton of a man in a uniform.

"Well, that explains all the landmines. This is, well, was, General McGann. He had your job back when I first joined up. Must have gotten trapped down here when that sea beast attacked the Castle. He did manage to keep the armory secure. I'll give him that much." She looked down at the skeleton. "Guess the uniform's yours, if you want it. This old geezer doesn't need it any more. Rest in peace, general. Your fight is done, and the Minutemen live on." 

Nora looked dubiously down at the general.

"Uh, pass. I don't really want to wear clothes some guy decomposed in."

Piper grimaced and nodded and Ronnie shrugged, looking offended.

"Suit yourself. No point getting all sentimental about something that happened forty years ago. Armory's this way."

She led the way to another door and up some stairs.

"Here we go. This is the other side of that sealed doorway." She pushed a button and the door retracted up and out. "And the armory's down this way."

The armory proper was a relatively small room, but it was packed with weapons, ammunition and plans. Ronnie looked through some of them, and crowed in satisfaction.

"Aha! Here. I was hoping we'd still have these. Plans for building the artillery cannons."

Nora came to stand next to her and looked over the plans.

"This could really come in handy."

Preston nodded enthusiastically.

"And imagine if we could get one of these built in every settlement. We could rain fire down on our enemies from anywhere."

Nora held up a hand.

"Hold on, there, Preston. One step at a time. Let's start with the Castle and move on from there." She looked around the armory. "Looks like we have some of the supplies needed right here. Ronnie, Preston, let's make this priority two - radio first, then artillery, then rebuilding the walls."

They both nodded. Nora called for a volunteer to inventory the contents of the armory and the rest of them headed back out into the courtyard.


	26. Family and Friends

Piper had been in Bunker Hill for a few days, following a lead on a story about missing caravan hands. It had been a long week, and she was looking forward to dinner at Power Noodles and a quiet evening typing up her notes.

Instead, as soon as she entered Diamond City, Danny Sullivan pulled her aside to tell her that Nat had been caught eavesdropping on some upper-standers during school hours. When he’d asked her what she was doing, she told him she was working on a story.

Piper felt equal parts proud and horrified. Though she was proud of the work she did with the paper, hers was not a life she had ever wished on her little sister.

When she walked into Publick Occurrences, she found Nat sitting on the floor by the coffee table with her school books arranged in front of her.

“Piper, you’re back!” Nat jumped up to hug her.

“I had a talk with Danny Sullivan. He told me you’ve been skipping school. You want to tell me about it?” She ran a hand gently through her sister’s hair.

“I’ve got a lead on a story, Piper! Drug smuggling!” 

Piper sighed. “I don’t like you skipping school, kiddo. And maybe hold off on the serious investigations till you’re a little older, huh?”

“Aww, Piper!” 

“I mean it, Nat. This stuff can be dangerous. Have you eaten yet?”

Nat nodded sulkily. 

“All right. Finish your homework. I’m gonna go get myself some noodles.” 

Piper went upstairs to drop off her pack and her notebook, then went back outside to Power Noodle, stopping when she noticed a set of power armor in the frame outside Nora’s door.

She felt her spirits lift, and went to knock on the door. The door was opened by a young redhead wearing a form-fitting corset and pants.

“Well, hey, there.” She had a strong Irish accent, and a flirty demeanor.

“Oh… uh…” Piper wasn’t sure why she felt so flustered. “I… I was looking for Bl… for Nora?” 

The young woman leaned into the house and yelled, “Oy, Nora! Someone at the door for ya.” 

Nora came down from the little loft. Her eyes brightened when she saw Piper. She took a step closer, as if to offer a hug, then hesitated and glanced at the redhead, who was watching them curiously.

“This is Cait, Piper. I, uh, sort of, accidentally, put her out of a job, so she works for me now.” 

Piper’s eyes widened. “Cait? As in the cage fighter from the Combat Zone?” 

Cait leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “That’s right, darlin’.” 

“You went to the Combat Zone?”

Nora shrugged defensively. “I didn’t know it was going to be full of raiders that would try to kill me as soon as I walked in. I had good memories of that place when it was the Orpheum. I just wanted to see how it looked now.” 

Piper shook her head. “Sometimes I don’t know how you’ve survived this long.” Piper tried to bite her tongue. That had come out a lot more aggressive than it had sounded in her head. She shifted uncomfortably, and tried to change the subject.

“When did you get back?” 

“Three days ago.” 

“How did it go? Was Virgil able to give you a way into the Institute?” 

Nora nodded. “Plans for a device that should hijack their signal long enough to get me in there.” 

Piper nodded. “Good. That’s good.” Out of the corner of her eye, Piper could see Cait’s smirk, and felt herself blushing. “I… uh, was on my way to get some dinner, so… I’ll see you later, OK?”

Ignoring Nora’s look of surprise, Piper quickly backed out of the doorway and went and plopped herself down at Takahashi’s counter, wishing it were out of sight of Nora’s door. 

She felt like an idiot. Cait’s presence had discomposed her—she wasn’t really ready to think too deeply about _why _that might be—and she didn’t like the feeling. She decided she wasn’t hungry after all, and went around to the Dugout Inn instead.__

____

____

She was sitting at the bar, turning a bottle of beer in her hands, when someone slipped onto the stool next to hers. 

“Did you want to talk about it?” 

She looked up in surprise to find Nora looking at her in concern. 

“About what?” 

Nora shrugged. “Whatever’s bothering you.”

Piper sighed and rubbed a hand across her eyes. “I don’t even know, Blue. I think I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.” 

Nora squeezed her shoulder. 

Piper made an effort to pull herself together.

“So, this device? What’s it going to take to get it built?”

Nora shook her head. 

“It’s beyond my scope of knowledge. I was going to go back to the Railroad, see if Tom could figure it out. Did…” She hesitated. “Would you like to come with me?”

Piper nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Nora leaned in and bumped her shoulder.

“I missed you.”

Piper turned and hugged Nora, feeling the tension of the past few days and hours fading as Nora returned the gesture. 

“I missed you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This didn't really go where I was expecting.


	27. Switchboard

Desdemona's price for Tom's help deciphering Virgil's plans was for Nora to join the Railroad.

"Even if one of my own agents told me that, I'd be skeptical. And from a stranger? Listen, you're obviously talented. I believe you'd be a great asset to our organization. So, prove it. Run this op with Deacon. If everything checks out, then we can talk about this plan of yours."

Deacon, the man in sunglasses who had seemed to know so much about Nora, had ideas of his own.

"So, Dez wants me to make you a 'tourist'. That's what we call someone who helps out with the odd job here and there. In my opinion, that would be a waste of your abilities. Look, the Railroad needs you."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I've got a job. Too big for just me, but perfect for the two of us. You help me out, we turn a few heads, and then Dez invites you into the fold.

"What's the job?"

"Well, up front, all I can say is that it's gonna be a wild and dangerous ride, but probably nothing new for someone like you."

Nora shrugged. “I just want to help out.”

Piper smiled at that. If anything summed up Nora’s personality, it was that one phrase. 

"Perfecto!" 

They were headed for Lexington. On the way, Deacon explained some of the ways the Railroad communicated with their agents and tourists - chalked railsigns, post boxes used as dead drops, passcodes, countersigns. 

They walked for a time in silence after Deacon finished his explanations.

"Hey, Deacon, why did you vouch for me with Desdemona?"

Deacon glanced at her. 

"In our little outfit, it's my job to know things. And with everything you've done, it's clear you're capable, a dangerous enemy, and, I'm guessing, a valuable ally."

Nora shrugged one shoulder. "OK, but why the trust? You can't be taking it all on faith."

"I don't know if we can trust you, but I hope we can. We just survived a hell of a crisis, so we may be just a teeny, weeny bit desperate for new members. If everything was sunshine and bottle caps, we'd probably play a longer 'getting to know you' game. But we don't have that luxury."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "Really? Is that all?

Deacon gave a little laugh.

"You just don't give up, do you? All right, I have a short list of people I think would be a good fit for our family. You piqued my interest, so maybe I asked around, did my homework. If you hadn't found us, there's a chance I would've found you, instead. Thanks for saving me the trip." 

He looked around. They had reached a collapsed overpass just outside Lexington.

"OK, hold up. So, about the job. Those lovely catacombs you saw aren't our first headquarters. Our old base was underneath a Slocum's Joe. We had a pretty sweet setup, until the Institute attacked us." 

Nora grinned. "Your base was under a donut shop? That's awesome!" 

"It was great, until it was all blown to hell. The survivors didn't have time to grab anything. So, we're getting something that got left behind."

"OK, let's do it." 

"One more thing to do first. There's a tourist nearby. He or she has intel on the base. We'll need to pump them for information before we dive in." 

Once they got closer to the tourist, Deacon had Nora take point, reminding her of the countersign she would need to use. The tourist, a nervous looking man, told them that the facility was completely overrun with first generation synths, and that they had seeded the front entrance liberally with mines.

Deacon suggested entering the facility through the escape tunnel.

"So, we're going to be fighting synths? I thought the whole point of the Railroad was to save synths." 

Deacon sighed. "It's complicated. The synths didn't start off as nigh perfect copies of human beings. The Institute had to work up to that level of hubris. Gen 1s and 2s were stepping stones along the way. The Railroad's not fully united on how we feel about them." He paused to gather his thoughts. "Everyone wants to liberate the Gen 3s, the human looking synths. Some of the synths in the Railroad, like Glory, think we should help earlier models, too. But Gen 1s are basically the same as, well, a Protectron, so the line gets muddy. Do we defend AI rights? Terminals? Hell, turrets? Any time it gets brought up, fireworks. All the old arguments flare up. The upshot is Glory and some others won't run missions like this."

The escape tunnel was accessed through a sewage pipe. Once inside, Deacon unlocked the security door, and then once more allowed Nora to take point. 

As they crept quietly through the tunnels, they started coming across the bodies of dead Railroad agents, and destroyed turrets. Though there were quite a few synths in the tunnels, they seemed to be fairly scattered, allowing them to dispose of them stealthily. That was, at least, until they reached the facility proper. There were at least half a dozen synths in the main room. 

Nora, Piper and Deacon took cover behind walls and columns, popping out to take shots at the synths. The synths were relentless and unfeeling. Even when limbs were completely crippled, they kept coming, trying to get within arm's reach to bludgeon them with their bare fists, if necessary.

Piper found herself trapped under the body of a synth that had been attacking her. Its body, falling against her when she finally managed to kill it, had proved heavier than she expected, and she had lost her balance and fallen under the weight. She waited until silence fell, trying to contain her rising panic. She had always hated feeling trapped. What if Nora and Deacon were both killed? Or they didn't notice she wasn't with them and left her behind? She could feel herself starting to hyperventilate, and struggled to control her breathing, feeling tears prick her eyes.

"Blue?" Her voice sounded weak in her own ears. Oh god, she was going to die trapped under a synth.

And then, blessedly, the weight of the synth was gone, and Nora was kneeling next to her, checking her over for wounds, helping her sit up.

"Hey, you're OK, Pipes. It's OK." Piper clung to Nora's arm, taking slow breaths, while Nora stroked her back gently with her free hand.

"I'm OK," she said after a few moments, now starting to feel embarrassed. "I... I just panicked when I couldn't get up."

Nora helped her to her feet, then turned to Deacon.

"How much further?" 

"Next floor up and down the hall. Not far."

Nora nodded. "OK. Give us a minute, would you? Maybe go check out those side rooms, see if there's anything useful in them?"

Deacon nodded and left the room.

Nora turned back to her. "You sure you're all right, Pipes?" 

Piper nodded. "Just shaken up. I've always had a problem with tight spaces and feeling trapped."

Nora pulled her in for a hug. Piper leaned against her gratefully until her knees stopped trembling, then pulled away.

"You ready to keep going?" Piper nodded.

They collected Deacon, and went up the stairs to the control room. There was a corridor behind the control room, with armed tesla arc traps set up. Nora turned to the other two.

"Do we disarm them, or do we try drawing the synths into a trap?"

They decided to try drawing them in. Nora offered herself as bait. Piper and Deacon took cover behind some of the desks, while Nora, standing in the middle of the room, started stomping around and talking loudly. Very soon, they started hearing stilted synth voices coming closer. 

Nora waited until two of them turned the corridor, then tossed a globe she had found one of the desks at the laser tripwire, tripping the trap, then dove for cover. 

The arcs of electricity from the tesla traps kept the synths nearly immobile, allowing Deacon and Piper to pick them off easily from their hiding places. 

Once the teslas ran out of power, they continued down the corridor. They found two final synths in a room down the next hallway. With those two disposed of, Deacon walked into the room, and up to a terminal next to a vault door. He held up a holotape player. 

They heard an accented male voice, "Carrington, Stanley. Salus aegroti suprema lex," and then the vault door swung open.

"Oh, man. It's Tommy Whispers." Deacon knelt next to the body of a man inside the vault. "He died protecting our secrets. Here." He held a pistol out towards Nora. "Tommy would have wanted you to have his handcannon. Don't let its size fool you."

Nora hesitated. "I shouldn't take it."

Deacon stood up. "Too late. It's yours. Grab Carrington's prototype. You turn that over to Desdemona and she'll have to let you into our merry band."


	28. Securing the Way

Upon returning to Railroad HQ, Deacon spun such a tale of Nora's deeds at the Switchboard that Piper started to think she might have to change her nickname to Scarlet.

Desdemona turned to Nora. "Is any of that true?"

Nora cleared her throat. "Some of it. There weren't anywhere near that many synths, and Deacon and Piper were with me the whole time."

"She'd have bought it, if you'd just stuck to your guns," Deacon said in a stage whisper.

Desdemona ignored him. "Regardless, this is still very impressive. I had expected Deacon to take in a full team, including Glory, to clear out the Switchboard, but you were able to do it without any backup. So, you're in. Now we need to know what to call you. Secrecy keeps us alive. Code names are a part of that. So what's yours?" 

Nora thought for a moment, then smiled mischievously. "Call me... Eighty-six."

"Eighty-six?"

Nora's smile widened. "Yeah."

Desdemona hesitated. "Very well. Your first official order is to deliver Doctor Carrington his prototype and see if he can use another pair of hands."

Carrington was Desdemona's second in command, and while impressed with the job they had done, resented that Dez had made Nora a full agent without consulting him. However, since the Railroad was shorthanded since the attack on the Switchboard, he had no choice but to accept the decision, however begrudgingly. 

He instructed Nora to make contact via dead drop with a Railroad operative known as Old Man Stockton, a businessman at Bunker Hill, and give him whatever help he needed.

Before leaving, they dropped off Virgil's plans with Tom, assuring him that, even though they looked like they had been drawn by a toddler, they were, in fact, the real deal. Tom said he would need some time to decipher them, so they headed off to the dead drop and to meet with Old Man Stockton.

\+ + +

"So... you're not an idiot."

Nora choked on her drink, and spent several minutes coughing.

Bunker Hill had proved to be a stop in the Railroad. Newly escaped synths were directed there, and then passed along to the next step. Old Man Stockton had needed a group of raiders cleared from an old church they used as a hand-off point. The hand-off would take place after dark, so after getting rid of the raiders, Nora and Piper had taken advantage of a little down time to have a bite to eat.

Once she got her breath back, Nora turned to Piper with an amused look. 

"Thanks? I guess?"

"Oh god, no, I… I didn't mean like..." She sighed. "I could just use some help. This isn't the sort of thing I'd normally bother anyone else with, but you just seem really good with people, and I've got this issue. With my sister, Nat, becoming me."

Nora put a hand on her chest and gasped overdramatically.

"Heaven forfend! Two Pipers? What _will_ the Commonwealth do?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Oh, har, har. Seriously, though. I mean, think about the life we lead. No offense intended, Blue, but personal safety doesn't exactly seem like either of our strong suits. I can't have her ending up like her big sister, dodging bullets and running from all the people she pisses off. It's part of the reason I'm on the road so much. Part of the reason I'm here with you. I keep thinking maybe, if I make myself scarce, if I'm not around her enough, she'll cool off. She'll just go back to being sweet, innocent Nat, papergirl, and all around upstanding citizen. What do I do, Blue?"

"That's why you offered to travel with me? To get away from Nat?"

"Well, I mean, there are other reasons…" She could feel her cheeks warming. "But right now, the only thing I can think about is Nat. What do you think I should do?"

"Piper, you don't get to decide who Nat will become. She does. All you get to decide is if you want to be a part of her life or not. Don't push her away."

"You're right, you're right. She's her own person and always will be. Thanks, Blue." She chuckled. "Who'd have expected wandering off with a stranger to turn out this well? They really don't make them like you anymore. You're a hell of a friend, you know that?"

She thought she noticed a slight tightening around Nora's eyes, but then thought she must have imagined it as Nora smiled at her.

"The feeling's mutual, Piper."

\+ + +

Old Man Stockton arrived an hour or so after sundown followed by a young man he introduced as H2-22. Stockton went back out to light the signal, and then headed back to Bunker Hill, leaving Piper and Nora to watch over H2.

Piper watched as Nora put him at ease, sitting with him, and drawing him into conversation about what life had been like for him at the Institute, and what he remembered of their facilities. The young man was soft spoken and appeared in awe of the world around him. 

Their contact showed up about half an hour later, and introduced himself as High Rise. He asked for their help escorting H2 back to his safehouse, codenamed Ticonderoga. As they made their way there, Piper wondered how High Rise had managed to make it to the church unscathed, since the path seemed to be teeming with both raiders and super mutants. But, between Nora's excellent marksmanship, and her own and High Rise's skills, they made it to Ticonderoga safely. 

They spent the night at the safehouse and headed back to headquarters early the next morning. Tom had managed to decipher Virgil's scrawls and gave them several lists of the components needed to build the various parts of the device. Nora looked through them and sighed.

"Back to scavenging and merc work, then."

"We're also gonna need a lot of space to build this thing. Like, a lot," Tom said. He told them that P.A.M., the assaultron that did computational analysis for the Railroad, had plans for a new safehouse that might suit their needs.

After getting the details from P.A.M., they headed back to Diamond City to regroup.


	29. Mercer

After their conversation, Piper had wanted to spend a little time with Nat, so Nora had asked Cait to go with her to secure the new safe house. The redhead was very rough around the edges, and as far as Nora could tell, pretty nearly constantly high, but she found herself liking her all the same. There was a raw honesty to Cait that appealed to her.

The location P.A.M. had scoped out for the new safe house was not too far south of Sanctuary Hills, a former commune known as Sunshine Tidings co-op. The place was in remarkably good shape when they arrived, with only some bugs and a couple of ferals to clear out.

There were half a dozen little single-room cabins - all but one pretty well intact - several fairly decent beds, a silo, a couple of barns and a Mister Handy robot that sounded about as high as Cait usually looked. There was plenty of arable land, and they were close enough to a nearby lake that Nora was confident they'd be able to tap into a water supply pretty easily. There was also plenty of space to build the teleportation device.

Nora knew she had most of the supplies she would need for the base of the device in her workshop in Sanctuary Hills, so once they finished clearing the place out, she and Cait headed north.

Cait looked around curiously as they entered the settlement.

"This is where ya lived? Before?"

Nora nodded.

"Which house?"

Nora pointed to a blue house about halfway up the street. "That one."

Cait paused in front of it, then jogged to catch up as Nora walked past it.

"But yer not stayin' there now."

Nora shook her head. "No. Too many memories. Too many ghosts. I've been staying in this one." She led the way into another blue house and dropped her pack. "We'll stay overnight. It's too late to head out again today. There's a spare bed in the bedroom, if you'd like, or you can use the guest house down the way."

Cait poked her head into the room Nora had indicated and nodded. "This'll do, but just so ya know, next person that asks me for a shag is getting' a well placed kick, if you get my meaning."

Nora sighed. This wasn't the first time the young woman had said something like this.

"Look, Cait, I hired you to watch my back, not to warm my bed. I have no intention of having sex with you. OK?"

Cait looked a little surprised.

"Ye don't? Why not?"

"Isn't 'because you don't want to' a good enough reason?"

Cait shrugged. "It never has been so far."

Nora grimaced. Just when she thought she was getting used to life in this new world, it threw something like this at her.

"Well, it should be. And it is to me. OK?"

Cait nodded dubiously. It made Nora sick to think of the life she must have led to leave her with those beliefs.

She led the way out to the workshop. She pointed Cait to a couple of cabinets along one wall.

"There's armor in that one, and weapons in the other. Feel free to look through them and grab anything you want."

While Cait equipped herself with a set of combat armor, Nora looked through the supply cabinets for the materials Tom had said she would need for the base and put them in a neat pile. It was too much for the two of them to carry, so she made arrangements with one of the provisioners to transport them to Sunshine Tidings for her on a pack brahmin.

Before they headed out the next morning, Nora checked in with Preston to see if there were any calls for help in the area. It turned out that the folks at Tenpines Bluff had put in a low-urgency call for help a few days earlier, so Nora decided they would head there first.

The settlers had scoped out a nearby location as a possible new settlement, and had friends who would be willing to move in if it was safe. They gave Nora the coordinates. She recognized it as the old Starlight Drive-in. She smiled reminiscently. She'd had her first kiss there during a showing of the Blob.

It wasn't far away, and they headed out immediately. They found that the place was overrun with mole rats, not difficult to kill, but overwhelming in their sheer numbers.

Nora shuddered as she butchered the carcasses, storing the meat in a cooler she kept attached to her pack. They really were quite hideous. She wondered, not for the first time, why the radiation seemed to have made so many previously passive or timid creatures so aggressive.

After looking around the place for any useful scrap, they headed back to Tenpines Bluff to inform them their friends could move in, then headed back to Sanctuary Hills to drop off the mole rat meat, and to arrange with Preston for a Minuteman patrol to be sent to the area to help the new settlers get the place set up.

They started back to Sunshine Tidings around midday.

"I can't figure ye out." They had been walking for some time in silence before Cait spoke.

"How do you mean?"

"When ye took over my contract, I was expectin' to hate ye. I thought ye'd be treatin' me like hired help. But ye haven't. Ye've treated me like a friend. Ye've been damn near _nice_ to me. An' not just me. Those settlers and their friends - people ye'd never even met - the people back in Sanctuary Hills. Ye're nice to _everyone_. I guess I'm just waitin' for the other shoe to drop. If there's anythin' I learned at the Combat Zone it's that nobody does things for other people without expectin' somethin' in return."

Nora looked over at her.

"It must have been rough surviving the Combat Zone."

Cait laughed humorlessly. "Ye don't know the half of it. It wasn't so bad to start off. I spent three years there. The place smelled of puke and piss, but I had a bed, I was earnin' some caps and I had three hot meals a day. Then one day the Raiders took over. If ye didn't keep lookin' over yer shoulder ye'd end up sucker punched and robbed…" she hesitated, "or worse. I had to start puttin' my hard-earned caps to use buyin' friends to make life easier. So I guess I'm waitin' for ye to hand me a bill."

"You don't owe me anything."

Cait scoffed. "I'm havin' a hard time believin' that. Tell ye what. Give me some time. I'll figure out a way to repay ye. After all, isn't that what friends are for?"

"I don't… that's not how friendship works. Friends don't keep a tally of debts." She could see that Cait looked unconvinced and sighed. "Never mind."


	30. Augusta Down

Even with the help of Cait and the first few Railroad operatives that P.A.M. sent in after they reported their success in establishing the new safe house, it took Nora over a week to finish building the platform. By then, Tom had managed to fill in the gaps in Virgil's plans, and gave her another list of specialty components that would be needed to build the remaining sections of the device.

On their way out of Railroad HQ, Carrington pulled her aside and asked her to check on the status of another of the safe houses, Augusta, which had gone dark around the time of the Switchboard attack.

The dead drop Carrington pointed them to led them to an old hospital. The place had been taken over by raiders in the short time since the attack. Nora shuddered as she caught sight of a headless body impaled on a spike – raider decorations. They made her sick.

She managed to convince Cait, whose preferred fighting style was to run screaming into combat berserker-style, to take a more measured, stealthy approach, and between them they quietly disposed of all the raiders in the place.

They found Augusta's final report in a desk on an upper level. But even without it, they had found enough Railroad operative corpses to guess that there had been no survivors.

Once the place was secure, Nora spent some time scavenging, thinking a former hospital might be a good place to find some of the specialized components on Tom's list. They worked their way down towards the basement, clambering down some old boilers and HVAC units and down to the ground.

Nora caught sight of a fusion generator in one corner of the basement, and started towards it, when she heard a sound that made her blood run cold.

"Shit! Cait, climb! Quickly!"

She pushed the redhead towards the nearest HVAC unit and climbed after her, back up to the next level, just in time to avoid the Deathclaw that came rampaging around the corner towards them. Hearts pounding at the near miss, Nora and Cait pulled out their weapons and started filling the enormous creature with bullets.

Once it was dead, Nora sat down with a thump and took a deep breath.

"I had hoped never to see one of those again."

Cait sat next next to her.

"S'a good thing we were able to get above it."

They reported back to Carrington, and then headed back to Diamond City. Nora felt they had earned a rest.

\+ + +

Piper was typing up some notes on a story she'd been working on, when she heard a knock on the door. She went down to open it and found Nora smiling at her. She had obviously just returned, and had apparently only taken the time to drop off her things. Her clothes were travel stained, and there were dirt smudges on her face and dark circles under her eyes.

"Blue!" She pulled her into a hug.

"How's the building coming?" She took Nora by the arm and pulled her into the room towards the couch. They sat down and Nora filled her in on her progress.

"And… Cait? How's she working out?"

Nora sighed and leaned her head back against the wall.

"God, Piper."

"That bad?"

Nora shook her head. "She told me a bit about herself. Did you know her parents sold her into slavery? Her own parents! They beat and abused her throughout her childhood, and then sold her when she turned eighteen." The furious look on Nora's face almost frightened Piper. "She told me she went back and killed them after she bought herself back." Her mouth tightened. "If I'd known them, I'd have done something a lot more creative than just filling them full of lead."

Piper reached out tentatively to touch Nora's arm. "You seem to be taking this very personally, Blue."

Nora rubbed her hands across her face. "Yeah. I always had a problem with that."

Noticing Piper's questioning look, she continued.

"As a prosecuting lawyer, I often worked with Child Protective Services, to help children like Cait and to make sure their abusers got what they deserved. Lawyers are supposed to maintain a certain level of detachment, but I never could in those cases."

Piper squeezed her arm affectionately, still amazed at how one person could care so much. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"So what are you planning to do next?"

"Scavenging. I don't have all the parts I need for the rest of the teleporter yet. And I need to go check in at the Castle, make sure everything's going OK. And I've got a job from Old Man Stockton. Apparently, the caravan his daughter was traveling with has gone missing. He's hired me to look into it."

Piper laughed a little. "I'm almost sorry I asked." She hesitated. "Did you… did you want some company?"

Nora looked over at her and smiled. "If by company you mean you, then yeah. Cait's nice, but I've missed my friend." She leaned towards Piper and rested her head on her shoulder. Piper knew she was grinning like an idiot, but she didn't even care.

Nora straightened up and stretched. "Will day after tomorrow work for you? I have some things to do in town first."

Piper nodded, smiling. She had enjoyed spending time with her little sister, but she was getting that itch to be out and about again.


	31. Human Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines rescue a kidnapped girl.
> 
> I decided to leave out Honest Dan.

Stockton had marked out the caravan's route on the map on Nora's pip boy, and had given her a list of the names and descriptions of each of the people in the caravan. 

Piper and Nora made their way to Bunker Hill early in the morning, and then started following the caravan route, stopping at each trading post along the way to ask after the missing caravan, and detouring every once in a while into locations that Nora thought had good scavenging potential.

They spent the night at Taffington Boathouse. The caravan had passed through a little over a week earlier and continued along the route Stockton had marked. 

They had only been walking for about an hour the next morning, when they came across two dead brahmin and the corpse of a man. Nora looked at her list. 

"He matches the description of Fred O'Connell. I think we found the caravan." She started walking a spiral out from the remains. "Only Fred, though. No sign of Amelia, Jay or the two mercenaries." 

She turned back towards Piper who was looking through what remained of the caravan's goods.

"Anything interesting?"

Piper held up a drink container. "Ever heard of Deezer's Lemonade?"

Nora shook her head. "Me neither." Piper tucked the container into her pack and joined Nora, who was looking at something on the ground.

"What is it?"

"Looks like blood, and it leads that way." She pointed to a wall just visible in the distance. "I assume that's," she consulted her map, "Covenant. Know anything about it?"

Piper paused to think through what she'd heard of the place.

"They've recently set themselves up as a trading post. Apparently, they have really good prices. And you hear strange things about them – like you have to take a test to be allowed in, and they're super friendly."

"Hmm. OK, let's go then. Keep your ears open and stay alert."

As they approached the settlement, they found that it was completely surrounded by a concrete wall. What they could see of the buildings within appeared to be in excellent shape.

They reached the gate, and saw a young, grey-haired man sitting at a desk in a little covered alcove next to it. He stood up when he saw them coming and walked over to them.

"You here visiting Covenant? If not, move along. You know, armed people loitering around? Not good for the nerves."

"Yeah, we'd like to visit."

"Good. Since you're first timers, there's something you need to do first. We don't let just anyone inside. There's an entrance test. We call it the SAFE test. Everyone's gotta take it."

Nora nodded. "OK."

The man seemed pleased. "Name's Swanson, by the way."

"Nora. And this is…" she hesitated for a second, "Louise."

Piper blinked.

"Good to meet you both. Now, if you wouldn't mind having a seat here, we'll get started." He turned to Piper. "We'll get to you in a second. If you would, wait there." He pointed to a spot on the other side of the gate.

Piper complied. She found that, though she could make out their voices, she couldn't actually hear what they were saying. After a few minutes, Nora stood and walked towards her.

"Your turn."

Piper opened her mouth to ask a question, but Nora put a finger to her lips, and shook her head slightly. 

"Later."

Piper sat in the chair Nora had recently vacated and faced Swanson. The questions he asked her were odd, to say the least, but she answered to the best of her ability, and apparently, did well enough to be allowed in. Swanson opened the gate for them as Piper rejoined Nora.

Piper raised an eyebrow at her.

"Louise?"

Nora grinned and glanced over at Swanson. He didn't appear to be listening, but she lowered her voice anyway. "Sorry, but you have a reputation in the Commonwealth. I figured we'd have better luck if they didn't realize you were Piper Wright, ace reporter."

"If you want to do any trading, try Penny's store. There's also Doc Patricia, if you need any medical supplies," Swanson said, pointing to the building on the right, as they walked past him.

They paused just inside as Swanson closed the gate behind them and looked around. The settlement was small, only four houses, but it was in almost pristine, pre-war condition. 

"Shall we split up? I'll go talk to the doctor and the shopkeeper, you see what you can get out of these folks out here?"

Piper nodded and started working her way through the small handful of people out in the little courtyard. The one thing she noticed most was how nervous some of them appeared to be, especially the two youngest, a man named Ted and a woman named Talia. Ted would hardly speak to her at all, and Talia was practically trembling and refused to meet her eyes. The one thing they all agreed on was that Stockton's caravan had never been there.

She was about to join Nora inside the shop, when she noticed a Mister Handy floating next to the building. She walked up to it, and it spoke before she could ask it anything.

"After a long day, nothing beats Deezer's Lemonade! Fresh lemonade here!"

Piper froze. "Deezer's lemonade?"

"Deezer's Lemonade is made of goodness. Four special ingredients from sunny, non-irradiated environments, all in one cold glass. Try it and enjoy."

It held out a can and Piper took it. She saw that it matched the drink they had found by the remains of the caravan.

She went into the shop and found Nora leaning against the counter gossiping with the shopkeeper, Penny. She stopped just inside the doorway and listened. Nora was talking in the same overly chipper tone as the rest of the people in the settlement. Piper felt goosebumps pop up on her arms. 

Nora shuddered as they left the shop. She linked arms with Piper so they could speak without being overheard.

"I'm getting a serious Stepford Wives vibe from this place, and it's creeping me the hell out."

"I have no idea what that means, but I agree about the creepiness. So, everybody claims that the caravan never made it here, but look what I found." She showed Nora the can of lemonade and jutted her chin towards the robot. "That's Deezer."

"Penny mentioned something about a Compound nearby and then immediately clammed up. If there were any survivors, that's probably where they were taken. Let's look around some more, see if we can figure out where the place is."

As they started to explore the tiny settlement, they were approached by an older man, Jacob Orden. He welcomed them to the community and indicated that the second house on the left was their guesthouse, if they were planning on spending the night.

Nora smiled politely at him as they walked away, then muttered, "I do _not_ want to spend a night here, Pipes."

Piper agreed wholeheartedly. 

So, that left two buildings to explore. The building at the back of the settlement appeared to be an office of sorts, with a couple of desks and a terminal. And the first house on the left was locked. They found a side door in a little alley between the house and the wall. Nora reached into a pocket and pulled out a bobby pin and a screwdriver.

"Keep watch, would you?"

Piper nodded and leaned casually against the corner of the house until Nora rejoined her.

"Please tell me you don't have your terminal password written down somewhere, Pipes."

Piper looked at her in confusion. "That was quite the non sequitur, Blue."

Nora grinned and held out a scrap of paper on which was written "Jacob's password" followed by a string of gibberish. 

They headed back to the office house. Nora peeked in. "It's empty. Keep watch again?"

Piper nodded and Nora slipped in and sat in front of the terminal. She was back within a couple of minutes. 

"Let's go."

They slipped out of the settlement, and Nora pulled her off the road and down to the bank of a lake on the other side.

"The entrance to the compound is somewhere along the lake shore. There's a fisherman who's been setting up near it and they're worried he's going to notice something."

She pulled her rifle scope out of her pack and looked up and down the shoreline through it.

"There." She handed Piper the scope and pointed almost directly across the lake. "Does that look like a fisherman to you?"

Piper looked where she was pointing. There did indeed appear to be a man sitting on the shore.

"Let's go."

When they reached the other side, Nora went up to the fisherman and spoke to him, while Piper tried to figure out where the entrance to the compound might be.

"He said they seem very interested in the sewer pipes," Nora said when she rejoined her. 

Piper carefully stepped out onto the nearest pipe, dropped to her knees and crawled to the edge, looking over.

"The middle one. There's a door at the end of it."

Nora nodded and started looking through her pack. She pulled out a bottle of Rad-x, popped one into her mouth, handed another to Piper, and, with a grimace at the feel of the murky water, lowered herself into the pipe opening, reached a hand out to steady Piper as she lowered herself down after her, and then turned and waded towards the door.

They came to a break in the pipe that led out to a room. A bright light was shining straight at the opening in the pipe, blinding them as they stepped through. A man's voice spoke from the other side of the light.

"Hold it right there. Outsiders aren't allowed. What are you doing here?"

"We, uh, just stumbled on this place."

Piper blinked at the light from behind Nora. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the brightness and she could see three figures beyond the light.

"You've already seen too much," the man said. "Sorry. This isn't personal."

Piper squeaked as Nora grabbed her by the waist and turned, twisting them both back into the pipe and behind cover. Almost immediately, a shot rang out.

Nora stepped back from her and drew her pistol. Piper followed suit, and as Nora went down on one knee at the edge of the pipe, she leaned over her shoulder and they started exchanging gunfire with the three men.

It was over very quickly. Nora walked across the room and flattened herself against a corner. She took a look around and quickly pulled back, holding up two fingers. She dropped to one knee, so her head wouldn't be where they had last seen it, leaned out and took two quick shots.

They stopped to listen for a moment, but didn't hear any movement. Nora took a moment to look through the pockets of the guards. She found a couple of keys and slipped them into one of her own pockets. Four of the men were wearing what looked like catcher's gear - _not_ the most effective armor against bullets. The fifth man was wearing a lab coat.

A short way down the corridor they came across a room. Piper noticed a holotape on a desk in the middle of the room and handed it to Nora, who popped it into the player on her pip boy. They listened in horror to the sounds of a man being tortured as a woman administered the SAFE test to him.

"That was the doctor from Covenant. I recognize her voice," Nora whispered.

There was nothing else of interest in that room, so they continued down the passageway, past a blocked door, pausing at the entrance to a larger chamber. There were at least half a dozen guards in there, and they were all on high alert. As they watched, a couple of them started down a set of stairs towards the opening to the corridor. 

Piper and Nora raised their pistols, shots rang out, and the two men fell. Nora took Piper by the elbow and hurried her back down the corridor to the last corner. They could hear the remaining guards calling out to each other, and then footsteps coming down the corridor. As Nora leaned around the corner, Piper heard a sound behind them and saw another guard coming through the previously blocked door. 

Piper and the guard raised their guns simultaneously, and as she saw him fall, she felt a searing pain in her left leg and fell to the ground with her back against the wall. Nora was still exchanging shots with the guards down the other corridor and she didn't want to distract her, but she couldn't help a whimper of pain escaping.

Nora turned to her and paled when she saw the growing puddle of blood next to her. She could hear another set of footsteps coming down the corridor, so she put Piper's arm around her neck, picked her up and ran with her down to the room where they had found the holotape. She lowered Piper gently to the ground, noticing that she had lost consciousness, then, using the key she had found on the guards, locked the door and then dragged the desk in front of it to blockade it.

She hurried back to Piper, untied and opened her coat, hesitated for a fraction of a second, then unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down so she could examine the wound. The amount of blood gathering around her again was alarming, but it also appeared that the bullet had gone straight through her leg. Nora applied a stimpak to both the entry and exit wounds, and gave her a dose of Med-x. The bleeding had turned sluggish already. Nora put a finger to the pulse point on Piper's neck. Her pulse was accelerated, but steady. She took a shaky breath.

Piper's eyes fluttered open.

"Blue?"

Nora squeezed her hand. "You're going to be OK, Pipes. The bleeding's nearly stopped and the bullet went straight through. I just need to bandage it." She pulled the supplies she needed from her pack, using a clean rag and some purified water to clean the blood off first.

"I need you to sit up. Can you do that?"

When Piper nodded, Nora helped her up to a sitting position and shifted her slightly so she could lean against the wall. She handed her another can of purified water.

"Drink this. You've lost a bit of blood. I need to go back out there and find Amelia. I'm going to lock the door on my way out. Here's a spare key, just in case." She tucked it into Piper's pocket. "Here's your gun." She put it on the ground next to her. "I'll call out before I come back in." She cupped the side of Piper's face with her hand, looked at her intently for a moment, then leaned in and kissed her cheek.

For Piper, the next twenty minutes were among the worst in her life. She could hear gunshots, which, she supposed was encouraging, as it meant that Nora was still alive, but it galled her to have been left behind. At one point she tried to get up to follow Nora, but she was as shaky as a new lamb, and couldn't support her own weight. 

Finally, after what felt like years, she heard Nora's voice. 

"It's me."

Nora knelt next to her and examined her wound, then, satisfied, turned to sit next to her, leaning against the wall, arms leaning on her upraised knees.

"Did you find Amelia?"

Nora nodded. "She wouldn't stay. She's already on her way home."

"What did they want with her?"

"They thought she was a synth. They've been using that SAFE test to try and identify synths so they could destroy them all. Whenever they found someone who failed their test over in Covenant, they'd kidnap them, bring them here, and then torture them. And when they were done with them, they'd kill them and do an autopsy to confirm whether or not they really were synths."

"That's… barbaric." Piper felt sick.

Nora nodded. "You said it. Let's get out of here. This place makes me feel dirty."

"I don't want to stay here either, but I don't think I can walk very far yet, Blue. Plus, I don't seem to be wearing any pants."

Nora blushed. "Oh, yeah… I had to…"

Piper grinned. "Relax, Blue. Just help me get my pants back on."

Nora helped her finish taking off the blood-crusted pants and put a fresh pair on, steadying her and making sure the bandage wasn't disturbed. Then she picked her up in her arms again and started walking out of the compound. 

"Are you planning on carrying me all the way back to Taffington?"

Nora smiled. "We're not going that far. There's an old retirement home just uphill from here. I stopped in there once a few months ago. We can spend the night there."

Once out of the compound and up the hill at the Mystic Pines retirement home, Nora set Piper down on a couch in the ruined foyer, then untied the sleeping bag from her pack and with a quick, "I'll be right back," disappeared down the hallway.

She came back a few minutes later, picked Piper up again and carried her into a small bedroom, where she had laid out Piper's sleeping bag on a small cot. 

"Where are you going to sleep?"

Nora nodded off to the side. "Next room over."

Piper swallowed, feeling foolish and somewhat childish. "Would you stay here instead? This whole day's been super creepy and I don't think I want to be alone."

Nora smiled slightly. "Sure thing."

Piper rolled onto her right side and felt Nora lie down behind her, draping her own sleeping bag over both of them.

Piper sighed contentedly and felt her eyes drifting closed almost immediately.

\+ + +

Nora lay next to Piper, listening to her breathe. She had known her feelings for Piper had been growing steadily, but until she saw her, unconscious and possibly bleeding out, she hadn't really realized just how much she had come to care for the younger woman. Piper had become her grounding rod, keeping her steady in the maelstrom that was life in the Commonwealth. The thought of losing her had opened a pit in her stomach. She wanted nothing more than to stay with her, hold her close, keep her safe, but Piper had shown no interest in anything other than friendship, and she'd be damned if she'd ruin what they had by trying to force something that wasn't wanted.

So she tamped down her feelings, kept her hands to herself, and tried to sleep.

When Piper woke the next morning, she could see, through the broken wall next to her, that it was barely dawn. She flexed her leg experimentally and found that, though it felt stiff and sore, the stimpaks had done their job. She no longer felt like she'd been shot, merely like she'd run a three day marathon.

She could feel the comforting warmth of Nora's body behind her. She rolled onto her back, the movement waking Nora, who smiled sleepily at her.

"Morn…" she grimaced mid-word, pulled her hand from under her head and started opening and closing the fingers of both hands. "I can't feel my arms. Oh, god - now I can." She tried to push herself up to a sitting position, but ended up collapsing back to the mattress as her half-asleep arm gave out on her. "Ow." Piper started giggling. Nora glared at her. "You mock my suffering?" She couldn't hold the glare for long, and joined in Piper's laughter.

They lay quietly for a few minutes while Nora massaged the pins and needles out of her hands.

"We have to go back to Covenant. If we don't, they'll just start all this back up again."

Piper nodded somberly. "I know. I was thinking the same thing. You think we can convince them to give it up without violence?"

Nora sighed. "We can only hope."

It was a foolish hope. As soon as Swanson saw them coming, he raced towards them, baton raised, screaming, "you ruined everything!" And when the rest of the residents heard him screaming, they came after them with guns. They had no choice but to defend themselves.

They sat together on the steps of one of the houses in the aftermath.

"I hate this." Nora's voice sounded choked. "This wasn't like killing raiders. These were good people. They were just afraid. I wish they'd listened."

Piper put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. After a few moments, Nora sniffed, straightened up and wiped her eyes. 

"I'm going to bury them."

They spent most of the rest of the day digging a line of graves just outside the wall. They stood silently for a moment after finishing, then went back within the walls. Nora stopped in the middle of the courtyard and looked around.

"I know it's going to sound callous, but I think we should put up a beacon, get some Minutemen-allied settlers in here. It's a good location, and it's already all set up with beds, crops, everything they'll need."

Piper nodded. "We could let the folks at Taffington know on our way back. They probably know people who'd jump at the chance."

"Good idea. I don't have the supplies to build a beacon with me. We'd save ourselves a trip."

The light was starting to fade, so they settled in for the night, taking the time to make a hot meal – a rarity when they were on the road. 

They headed out as early as possible the next morning, both eager to put the place behind them.

Half a dozen people from the Taffington Boathouse settlement started out for Covenant almost immediately, and Nora used the settlement's ham radio to report the new location to Preston and have him add it to the regular patrols.

When they reported to Stockton, he informed them that the people at the compound had been right. Amelia was, in fact, a synth. She, like so many others, had escaped the Institute and come to the Railroad for help. She had submitted to a mind wipe with Dr Amari, and afterwards, Stockton had adopted her.

They returned to Diamond City just as night was drawing in. It wouldn't normally have taken so long, but Piper's leg was still sore, and they went at a slower pace. Piper went in to check on Nat, then stopped off at Power Noodle for some dinner. As she finished, she noticed Nora sitting on the roof of her house.

Cait let her in when she knocked, and she slipped upstairs and out through the hatch in the roof, knocking on the side of the old trailer as she came out.

"May I join you?"

Nora was sprawled in a lawn chair, a beer bottle dangling from her fingers. She smiled when she saw Piper and indicated the other lawn chair with the bottle. She pushed a cooler towards her with one foot. 

"Beer?"

Piper popped the top off her beer and settled back.

"I've been thinking about what you said about Nat. I've been going over it again and again in my head. You're right. I'm not going to be the deciding factor in what becomes of Nat. She's going to figure that out for herself." 

She took a sip of her beer. 

"It's just, sometimes, it feels like the only things I've got in life are Nat and the paper. Having someone I can count on, someone like you, it's meant a lot to me. Not a lot of people want to hang around with the nosy reporter."

Nora shifted slightly in her chair to face her. "Do people actively avoid you?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I didn't exactly start the paper to make friends. I just wanted to right the things I thought were wrong. And when Nat and I first got to Diamond City, there was a _lot_ of wrong. Crooked guards, lousy infrastructure…" She gave a little laugh. "There was a hole in the exterior wall that was patched over with a bookcase. One bookcase. That's it. I started the paper more as an act of desperation than anything else. It turned out, I wasn't the only one who wanted things to change. After the first couple of editions, people may not have agreed with what I said, but everyone was listening."

"Seriously? One bookcase? Not even some tape?" Nora tried to cover her smile with one hand.

"Nope! But now, now you can't even tell where the hole was. Brick, real mortar, the works. All because of the paper. When that first edition hit the stands, I felt like I'd finally done something worth doing, but afterwards, things… things changed. People didn't want to talk the way they used to. Seemed like overnight, I'd gone from being Piper, friend and confidant, to Piper, the nosy snoop. A lot of folks, they haven't treated me the same since. It started to feel like the only person I could count on was my little sis."

Nora sat up and put her beer on the floor next to her. Piper was trying to sound nonchalant, but there was real hurt behind her words.

"That was a long time ago. People can't still treat you that way."

"You'd think, but if anything, it's gotten worse. Sure, I've earned some friends in town, but now, as you pointed out, I've even got a reputation outside Diamond City. It's why I'm so lucky… to have someone like you. You're not afraid of me like everyone else. I was sure that the paper would be the best thing I ever did in my life. But being with you, now I don't know. I've needed someone like you in my life for a long time, Blue. I just never expected I'd actually get them. So thank you. For being the friend I can count on."

Nora had felt her heart rate rising as Piper finished. She paused, then spoke hesitantly.

"Are you saying you're interested in becoming more than just friends?"

Piper gulped audibly and started fiddling with the label on her beer bottle.

"Oh! I… I mean, I'd be lying if I said I never thought about you that way…" Her eyes widened. "Not that I'm always thinking that way!" She took a deep breath. "It's just, Blue, I'm loud and pushy and constantly getting in over my head. Why would someone like you ever want someone like me?"

Nora got out of her chair and knelt in front of her, taking the bottle out of her hands and putting it on the ground. She took Piper's hands, rubbing her thumbs up and down them.

"Piper, you're kind, and fierce and caring. You've kept me sane all this time. You're not afraid to call me out when I do something stupid. How could I not want you? You don't have to be flawless, Piper. You're perfect to me."

Piper blushed hotly. "Perfect, huh? That's a new one. Well…" she smiled shyly, "well, I think you're perfect, too."

She leaned towards her, but Nora now pulled away, suddenly uncertain.

"You don't mind… what I told you before? About being asexual?"

Piper cupped her hands around Nora's face. 

"It's part of who you are. I said perfect, and I meant it." It was Nora's turn to blush. "Can I kiss you?"

Nora responded by closing the gap between them and pressing her lips to Piper's.

"Well, it's about time!" came a loud, Irish-accented voice from behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't seem to write an emotional scene without adding a comedic bump right after it.
> 
> Also: Cait ships it.


	32. Friends and Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of fluff and silliness

They left Cait on the roof of Home Plate and headed for Publick Occurrences. Nora grinned and smacked her lightly on the arm as they passed.

"Behave yourself, you."

Cait smirked and sat in the chair Nora had vacated, helping herself to a beer from the cooler.

Piper pulled Nora through the door of Publick Occurrences and leaned against it to close it. Nora stepped towards her, took her hands, linking their fingers, and leaned in to kiss her.

"Hey, Piper?"

Nora straightened and turned, letting go of one of Piper's hands as Nat barreled out of her room. The little girl stopped when she saw that Piper wasn't alone, her eyes narrowing as she noticed their linked hands. She moved to stand in front of Nora, hands on her hips.

"So, what? Are you dating my sister now?"

"Nat! That is none of your business!"

Nora turned to smile fondly at Piper, who was writhing in embarrassment, then turned back to the girl. "Yeah. You OK with that?" 

Nat shrugged.

"I guess. You seem cool. But you should know, if you hurt my sister," she leaned in and spoke threateningly, "I will end you."

Nora bit her lip to stop herself from smiling. Though the threat was exaggerated, Nat was obviously very serious about protecting her sister.

"Natalie June Wright!" 

Nora squeezed Piper's hand gently and nodded seriously at Nat.

"Understood."

Red-faced, Piper pulled Nora past Nat and up the stairs, turning to look at her sheepishly when they reached the top. 

"I'll see your embarrassing friend, and raise you an embarrassing little sister." 

Nora grinned, slipped one arm around Piper's waist, and cupped her face with the other. Piper shivered and slid her arms around Nora.

"She wants to protect her big sis, and who could blame her?"

Nora leaned close and kissed her. Piper felt a flush of heat spread across her body and she slid a hand up Nora's back to the nape of her neck to pull her closer.

They heard an annoyed voice from downstairs.

"I can hear you making out! I'm gonna go sleep over at Nina's where I can't hear you anymore." Then, a muttered, "so gross," and a door slamming.

Piper buried her face in Nora's shoulder. 

"I'm going to kill her."

Nora's arms tightened around her and she could feel her shaking with laughter. Piper pulled away and took her hand. 

"Well, if she's gone for the night, we can use the couch."

She pulled her back downstairs and sat on the couch, curling against Nora with her head on Nora's shoulder once they both got settled. Nora put her arm around Piper and ran her fingers up and down her back.

"Hey, Blue?"

"Hmm?"

"I've… I've never done this before."

"Never done what, exactly?"

"I've dated, but nothing's ever lasted. No one seems to want a long-term relationship with Piper, the nosy snoop. I just… I care about you, and I want this to work out, so I thought you should know."

Nora kissed the top of Piper's head.

"I've never done this before either. Everyone I tried dating before broke it off when they found out I was asexual. And then I gave up. Married Nate." She hooked her hands together around Piper's back and pulled her closer. "We'll figure it out together."

Piper smiled. "I like that idea."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the new closeness.

"Hey, Pipes?"

"Hmm?"

"When's your birthday? And Nat's? And do people even celebrate birthdays anymore?"

"Yeah, of course we celebrate birthdays. Nat's is September 1st, and mine is August 21st. When's yours?"

"June 7th. So what _do_ you do?"

"For kids, there'll usually be a gift, maybe a box of snack cakes. If there are other children in the area they might come over for lunch or dinner. For adults it's more just being with friends and family. What was it like before?"

"About the same, except with a full-sized cake instead of snack cakes, and we'd put lit candles in them. And there was likely to be cake for adults too."


	33. Long Road Ahead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines seek a cure.

"Where exactly are we going? Medford's a big area." 

"Med-Tek Research." 

They had started out from Diamond City at daybreak, and had just crossed the river into Medford.

"What are you hoping to find there? Is this more scavenging for the teleporter?" 

Nora grinned at her. 

"Reporter hat firmly on today, huh?" 

Piper wrinkled her nose at Nora.

"C'mon, Blue! What did you expect? You're being all secretive."

"I'm not trying to be, it's just... OK, look, we're meeting MacCready there. He needs some help with this job, but it's his story to tell, and I didn't know if he'd want me to share it with anyone else. And yeah, I'll be keeping my eyes open for the things on Tom's list." 

Piper slipped her hand into Nora's and squeezed it.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, always on your best behavior, huh Blue?"

Nora blushed and bumped her shoulder. "Shut up." 

When they reached Med-Tek Research, they found MacCready waiting for them, surrounded by the corpses of half a dozen feral ghouls.

"Hoo, boy. Is this a prelude to what we're going to find inside?" 

MacCready glanced at Piper, then at Nora, then back at Piper. 

"Uh, yeah. I came in here by myself when I first heard about the place, but couldn't deal with them alone." 

"OK, stay alert, then."

Piper and MacCready nodded.

They entered the building quietly and looked around the lobby.

"So, according to the info I was given, the research labs are on the lower levels. That's probably where we'll find it. But the facility's in lockdown, so we'll have to find the executive terminal and put in the password Sinclair gave me. The offices are on the upper levels." 

Piper looked at Nora curiously. Nora shook her head slightly. Piper sighed and tried pushing the call button for the elevator. Nothing happened.

"Guess it's the stairs, then."

They found a set of stairs leading up off the back of the lobby. As they reached the second floor, they could hear shuffling and pattering noises. Nora drew her weapon. Piper and MacCready followed suit and they tiptoed into the room. There were about half a dozen ferals in sight, and they raised their weapons and started shooting, MacCready, with his sniper rifle, focusing on the ones farther back, and Nora and Piper dealing with the closer ones.

The next flight of stairs was blocked off, but they found a section of collapsed ceiling that they could use as a ramp up to the next floor. They continued along, dealing with a few more ferals, until they finally found the terminal they needed.

"Here's the password."

MacCready handed Nora a scrap of paper, and she knelt in front of the terminal. MacCready gave an audible sigh of relief when the password worked, and she was able to turn off the lockdown.

"Thank god that worked. We should be able to get down to the labs now. That should be where they stored the cure." 

They made their way back down to the lobby and through an airlock that had previously been locked. There were both more ferals and also security turrets in this wing of the building.

They found a working elevator down to the lower levels and started to work their way through to the main research lab, dealing with a few more ferals and turrets along the way and searching every room. Piper smiled to herself whenever she saw Nora slipping some piece of scrap or other into her pack.

On the lowest level, they found a large lab with a terminal-locked door. Piper shuddered as she realized that the bones she was finding in the fridges were human.

"What the hell kind of research were they doing here?"

"Hey, MacCready, is this it? Prevent?"

Nora was standing by the counter in the center of the room, holding up a syringe with a wide, red barrel. He laughed disbelievingly. 

"Holy crap, we actually did it! We just gave Duncan a fighting chance to live. I owe you big time."

"MacCready, how many times do I have to tell you, you don't owe me anything. Friends help friends." 

He shrugged uncomfortably. "Yeah, yeah. So, now I just need to get this to Daisy in Goodneighbor. With her caravan contacts, she's the only one I trust to get this to Duncan on time."

"We'll come with you." Nora glanced over at Piper questioningly, and Piper nodded in agreement.

MacCready smiled. "Thanks. Let's go then."

\+ + +

"MacCready! I haven't seen you in a while. You haven't been avoiding me, have you?" The ghoul shopkeeper spoke to the young mercenary in a bantering tone.

He grinned. "How could I stay away from someone as cute as you, Daisy?"

She chuckled. "You're a lousy liar, but I'll just play stupid and pretend I don't know that. So, what do you need?"

"I got it, Daisy. I found the cure to Duncan's disease."

"Oh my god! That's wonderful news. How did you do it? Last time you tried, the ferals almost chewed you to bits."

He indicated Nora and Piper. "I didn't do it alone. Now all I need to do is get the cure to Duncan. Can you help me?"

"Of course, MacCready. You've saved my behind more than once. It's the least I can do." 

He smiled, relieved, and handed her the syringe.

"I'll get the sample on the first caravan leaving the Commonwealth. The driver owes me a few favors, and he's reliable. We'll get it to your homestead in no time at all."

"Thanks, Daisy. You're a doll."

Daisy turned towards Nora. "Hey, do me a favor. Take care of MacCready for me. He's one of the good ones." 

They walked out of the shop and MacCready turned towards Nora.

"Thanks again. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Hey, if there's one thing I can understand, it's wanting to move heaven and earth to help your child. You don't have to thank me. So what are you going to do once Duncan's better? Are you going to head home?"

MacCready scratched the back of his neck. 

"I don't know. Other than Duncan, there's really nothing left for me there. I thought I might bring him down here instead."

Nora smiled. "Well, you'd both be welcome in Sanctuary Hills if you wanted to settle down there, or at any of the Minutemen-allied settlements, really. I have an in with the General and could make some introductions."

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess you do."

MacCready headed down to the Third Rail, and Nora and Piper got a room for the night at the Rexford. Piper leaned against the door of their room and watched Nora for a few moments. Nora seemed to feel her gaze and looked back at her questioningly.

"Have I mentioned how amazing you are?" She walked over to Nora and slipped her arms around her waist, smiling at the blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Uh, no?" 

"Well, you are, Blue." She lifted a hand and traced her thumb across Nora's cheek. "I know you're frantic with worry over your own son, and yet you still take the time to help another parent save his child." She kissed her gently and pulled her into a hug. "I love you, Blue."

She felt Blue's arms tighten around her.

"I love you too, Pipes."


	34. Marlene

When Nora dropped off the first load of supplies for the teleporter at Sunshine Tidings Co-op, she found that Tom and Desdemona had temporarily relocated to the new safe house to oversee the construction.

"Not gonna lie, Tom. I'll feel a lot better using this thing knowing that you built it," Nora told him, the relief evident in her voice.

The young man preened, then looked up at the sky and gulped, taking a step closer to the barn.

"Man, this is the only thing that would get me above ground."

Desdemona approached her as she left Tom.

"Eighty-six, we could use your help again, if you have the time."

"What's up, Dez?"

"One of our other safe houses is reporting an increase in super mutant activity along their usual route."

Nora grimaced and nodded.

"I'll check it out. Where's the dead drop?"

\+ + +

"What is it with you and super mutants, Blue?"

Nora grinned at Piper.

"I have a secret crush on them, and I keep hoping they'll reciprocate only to have my heart broken every time."

Piper laughed.

"Doofus. So where are we headed?"

"Atomatoys Headquarters. It's not too far."

Piper frowned.

"That whole area is crawling with super mutants. Why that one building?"

Nora shrugged. 

"As far as I can tell, it's all down to the runners. They get spooked, they call us in, we clear the area, they're happy. Till the next time something spooks them."

They approached the building cautiously. As Piper had pointed out, the whole area was full of super mutants, and they didn't want to attract undue attention. There was one mutant with a hound on guard duty outside. They dealt with them easily enough, and opened the door. Piper gagged.

"Oh god. This may be the worst thing I've ever smelled," she whispered. "Or at least, the most concentrated worst thing. I can feel my nose hairs wilting." She tried breathing through her mouth and grimaced. "I can taste it."

Nora pulled off her pack and dug through it, pulling out a pair of gas masks.

"I came prepared."

Piper took the mask gratefully.

"I could kiss you."

Nora grinned and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Piper smacked her lightly. 

"Time and a place, Blue."

They pulled on their masks, and now able to breathe more comfortably, took stock of their surroundings. It appeared they had entered through the basement door. This worked to their advantage. They were able to use the cabinets and shelving units to hide behind, and the super mutants had a hard time navigating the crowded space. After a brief fire fight, the place was silent again.

They worked their way through the lower level, double-checking that they hadn't missed any of the creatures, before using a collapsed ceiling as a ramp to the next level, and repeating the process. 

Within an hour or so, the building was cleared. Ever in search of supplies, Nora spent some time searching the building for useful loot, while Piper, always inquisitive, stopped at every working terminal to read through the entries.

"Hey, did you know that Atomatoys started making munitions for the government at the end of the war?"

Nora looked up from the file cabinet she was searching and shook her head.

"Doesn't surprise me, though. The government was pretty desperate towards the end."

"Huh… they fired one of their toy designers over it, guy named Arlen Glass."

"Arlen Glass?"

Piper looked up in surprise at the shock in Nora's voice.

"Did you know him?"

"I know him. Now. Present tense. He lives at the Slog. He's the one who hired me to get those Giddyup Buttercup parts from the Atomatoys factory near Quincy. He told me he'd designed the Giddyup Buttercup, but I didn't know all the rest of this."

They kept exploring, discovering that Arlen had been fired on the day the bombs fell. They found a note in which he begged the head of the company to think of the children, and of a time after the war, rather than reaching for a quick profit. They eventually found Arlen's old office. Nora jimmied the lock with a bobby pin, but they hesitated in the doorway before entering.

"It looks untouched."

Nora nodded, and finally took a step inside. Piper was right, the place was pristine. Through a window to the left, they could see into Arlen's work room, also untouched, a Giddyup Buttercup toy standing on the workbench where he had left it.

Piper moved to the desk, while Nora accessed the terminal that controlled the door to the work room. 

"Locked. Hmm… what's your password, Arlen?"

"Try Marlene."

Nora looked back at Piper questioningly, and she held up a slip of paper.

"It was his daughter's name."

Nora shrugged and nodded, before turning back to the terminal.

"Good call, Pipes," she said as the door next to her opened. 

Piper came to read over her shoulder as she accessed the terminal in the work room, reading about Arlen's struggles with the newest Giddyup Buttercup.

"Look, there's a tape plugged in."

Nora nodded and pressed play. They listened in silence to Arlen's daughter telling her daddy how much she loved him, and that she wished he wouldn't work so hard. Nora ejected the tape when the message ended. She held it for a few moments before slipping it into one of her pockets.

"I, uh… I think I need to make a trip to the Slog."

Piper nodded,

\+ + +

They started out early the next morning, and made it to the Slog by mid-afternoon. Arlen was, as usual, in his workshop, tinkering with the Giddyup Buttercup he was restoring.

"Hey, Arlen?"

"Hmm?" He looked up distractedly, waved vaguely and returned to the toy.

"Arlen, I need to talk to you."

He put down his tools and smiled at them.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to ignore you. I just get caught up. What did you need?"

"I… uh…" she glanced at Piper who nodded encouragingly. "I think we found something that belongs to you."

"Oh?"

Nora pulled the holotape out of her pocket and held it out to him. He looked at it in confusion, and looked up at Nora and Piper.

"You think this is mine?"

"You should listen to it," Piper said softly.

He looked between them for a few moments, before plugging the holotape into the terminal in the corner of his workshop.

_"Go ahead."_

He gasped. 

"Cheryl?"

 _"Hi, Daddy!"_ He put a hand to his mouth.

"Marlene!"

 _"When are you coming home? You work too much."_ He slid down the wall next to the terminal and rested his head on his knees. _"I want you to read to me again. Mommy says you're helping all the horsies find good homes. Take care of them, OK? I love you."_ He covered his eyes, and made a choking noise. _"Oh, Buttercup says she loves you too. We miss you. Come home soon!"_

He took a shuddering breath and looked up at them.

"I… I need a minute."

Piper and Nora nodded and left the workshop. Piper looked anxiously at Nora.

"Did we do the right thing? What if we broke him?"

Nora nodded decisively.

"Yes. Absolutely."

Piper blinked in surprise at her vehemence. Nora sighed, took her by the elbow and led her to one of the tables around the swimming pool. As they sat, she reached into a pocket and pulled out another holotape, which she plugged into her pip boy, letting Piper hear Nate and Shaun's final message to her.

When the message ended, Nora took out the holotape and held it in front of her, running her thumb over the hastily scrawled 'Hi, Honey!' on the front of it.

"Codsworth gave it to me when I got out of the vault. Even now, knowing that Shaun's not my little baby anymore, I find myself listening to it over and over. Just to hear him. It's something to hold on to when things get difficult." Piper put her hand on top of Nora's and squeezed it gently. "So yes, even though it's painful, I think we did the right thing."

They looked up as Arlen approached and sat next to them.

"It's been so long. I never thought I'd hear their voices again. You can't imagine what this means to me." He smiled gently and patted Nora’s shoulder. "Or maybe you do. You told me you lost your husband and son." He looked down. "She was right, you know. I did work too much. And now… I'll never hear her voice again, never get to hold her, kiss her goodnight. All I have left are the memories. And this tape." He held up the hand in which he clutched it tightly. "As one parent to another, thank you."

He stood to leave. Nora stood as well and reached out to hug him. He pulled away after a moment, nodded shyly and returned to his workshop. After a few moments, they heard Marlene's voice again.


	35. Diamond City Blues

Nora looked up from her book when Cait sighed loudly for the third time in two minutes. She raised an eyebrow.

"Bored?"

Cait shifted uneasily.

"A bit. Haven't been in a fight in ages."

Nora laughed.

"We killed a bunch of raiders in that alley down the road just this morning."

Cait smirked.

"Like I said, ages."

Nora smiled, shook her head and put her book aside.

"You ever been to the Colonial Taphouse?"

"That fancy pub in the upper stands?"

Nora nodded.

"Nah. I've heard it's posh, and figgered they'd turn their noses up at the likes of me."

"Want to go check it out?"

Cait shrugged.

"Yeah, why not. And if they do turn their noses up, I'll get to burn off a bit of energy."

"Look, we're not looking for a fight. Don't throw the first punch. We don't need to get kicked out of this place." She turned to leave and then turned back. "And by this place, I mean Diamond City, not the pub."

Cait nodded sulkily and followed her out of Home Plate.

As Cait had suggested, the place was fancier than the Dugout. The crowd was smaller, and was made up almost entirely of upper standers. Nora made her way to the bar.

"Ah, a new face. Welcome to the Colonial Taphouse. Perfect place to drink, if you're buying."

"Is this your place?"

"That's right. Owner, bartender, sympathetic ear. I try to provide a little oasis from the hardships of life. Name's Cooke, by the way, Henry Cooke. You must be new in town."

"Been around a couple of months, but hadn't made it up here before. Name's Nora."

"Good to meet you. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Couple of beers. Gwinnett lagers, if you have them."

"Coming right up."

As Nora took the two bottles and joined Cait in the corner next to the door, a man brushed past her and hurried up to a woman sitting at the bar. He spoke to her quietly for a few moments, before raising his voice.

"Come on Darcy, let's go."

The bartender spoke up.

"Take it easy. I don't think she wants to leave just yet."

The man turned angrily to Henry.

"Hey, this is between me and my wife. Why don't you mind your own damn business for once?"

Nora sat down next to Cait, handed her one of the beers and leaned towards her.

"Didn't know there'd be a floor show," she whispered.

Cait smirked and nodded.

"God, Paul. Why do you always have to make a scene? Pour me another drink, Henry."

"Dammit, Darcy, I just want you to come home!"

Darcy sighed.

"I'll be home. Later."

Paul turned again to Henry, the bartender.

"I can't believe you'd do this to me, Cooke."

"Do what to you, Paul?"

Cait leaned towards Nora.

"Reckon the barkeep's sleepin' with that feller's wife."

Nora nodded and took another sip of her beer.

"You smug bastard. You keep away from my wife, goddammit."

"You'd better get out of here, before you do something stupid." Henry stepped out from behind the bar and made as if to escort Paul off the premises.

"You son of a bitch!" Paul pulled his arm out of Henry's grasp, pulled back and punched him in the face. Darcy gasped.

"Don't hurt him, Henry!"

Henry rubbed his chin where Paul's blow had fallen, sighed, and stepped forward. After a few well-placed blows, Paul was on the ground, clutching a broken nose. Henry shook his head and headed back behind the bar.

"Go on, get out of here."

Paul got this feet, glared at Henry and turned to his wife.

"I'll be at home, Darcy. Taking care of our son."

Nora chugged down the remains of her beer and headed back to the bar.

"Could I get another one of these?"

Henry nodded and gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry you had to see that. Things are usually a lot quieter around here."

"What was that all about?" she asked casually.

"Oh, nothing much. You see, Darcy here," he indicated the woman next to Nora, "likes to enjoy life from time to time, and her husband Paul, doesn't. He's not a bad guy, really. Just a little uptight. Too bad he can't learn to relax, huh, Darcy?"

The woman rolled her eyes and made a disgusted noise.

"Shut up, Henry. I don't come here to talk about Paul." She turned to Nora. "You there," she said imperiously, "why don't you make yourself useful, and buy me a drink or something?"

Nora raised an eyebrow.

"You come here often?"

"As often as I can. Henry is so good at listening to my troubles."

Henry scoffed.

"Troubles? What would you know about that?" He shook his head and turned back to Nora. "Let me get you that beer."

Nora glanced back at Cait, who lifted her bottle and waggled it meaningfully.

"Make that two."

She took the beers and headed back to Cait.

"Guess even upper standers can have it rough."

Cait shook her head.

"Those two aren't upper standers."

"They aren't?"

"Nuh-uh. Seen 'em both comin' out of the house next to the school."

"Well, that woman definitely has pretensions of being one, then."

Cait grimaced.

"Some people are weird."

"Agreed."

They didn't stay much longer. On their way back down to the main level, they came across Paul, sitting on one of the old stadium seats, nursing his broken nose. 

"You OK, buddy?"

He glanced up at them.

"You were in the Taphouse just now… when…"

"When ye got her arse handed to ye by the barkeep?" Cait finished helpfully.

Nora nudged her as Paul laughed bitterly.

"Yeah. Cooke kicked my ass." He sighed. "I'm supposed to pretend I don't know he's sleeping with my wife." 

Cait prodded Nora with her elbow.

"Told ye," she whispered.

"Until he gets bored with her and she comes crawling back home to me."

"Sounds like a tough situation," Nora said.

"You don't know the half of it. But I'm not gonna just sit here and let Cooke steal my wife and destroy my family. I'm going to go back and talk to him, and I want you to come with me."

Nora frowned.

"Me?"

He nodded, then winced and put a hand to his nose.

"I've heard talk around town. You help people, and you're tough. You saw them. They don't take me seriously. I don't want to have to really hurt him. I just want him to leave Darcy alone."

Nora leaned thoughtfully against the railing.

"I think this'll work better if I talk to Cooke by myself."

Paul sighed.

"You're probably right. I'm so angry at Cooke, I'd probably lose control. Just get him to leave Darcy alone."

She nodded.

"I'll make sure he gets the message."

"Good. Don't kill him if you don't have to, but otherwise, I don't care what you do to him. He deserves to suffer for what he's done."

Cait leaned towards her as they continued down into the lower stands.

"He's so furious at this Henry feller, but doesn't seem to care that his wife had just as much to do with the affair as him." 

"He's hoping to save his marriage, so he's ignoring that fact." 

\+ + +

Nora waited until mid-morning the next day. She had decided to talk to Henry at home, when she'd be able to catch him alone, rather than in front of a barful of patrons. He still looked bleary-eyed when he opened the door, but at least he was fully dressed.

"What do you want?"

"We need to talk. Can I come in?"

He nodded and walked inside, leaving her to close the door behind them.

"Is there some kind of problem?"

"Paul Pembroke asked me to talk to you. So here I am. Asking nicely. Are you sleeping with Paul's wife?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"I really don't see what business it is of yours who I'm sleeping with. Go tell Paul to come talk to me himself. If he's man enough."

Nora sighed.

"Is Darcy really worth dying for? Or killing for? Because I think Paul's getting desperate, and that's where this might end up."

He rubbed his hands over his face.

"You know what? You're right. This whole thing with Darcy and me was a bad idea. I admit it. Not like I planned it or anything. She was just…"

Nora held up a hand uncomfortably.

"Really don't need any details of your affair, Henry."

"Look, tell Paul it's over. I swear, I won't even let her in my bar anymore. Is that good enough for you?"

"I'm guessing Paul would want something more concrete."

"Yeah, OK. I get it. Look, I have an idea. Something I've been thinking about for a while. If you help me with this score, I'll have enough money to leave Diamond City and set up somewhere else. That should make Paul happy."

"What's the plan?"

"Here's the deal. I have some other… businesses on the side. One of them is helping Nelson Latimer spend his dad's money to make himself feel like a gangster. We buy chems from some… gentlemen in Goodneighbor, and smuggle them into Diamond City."

Nora frowned. 

"Why smuggle them in? Chems aren't illegal here."

"No, but Mayor McDonough takes a big cut of all the chems that come into town. Really cuts into the profits. That's where me and Nelson come in. He fronts the cash, I make the arrangements. Cheap chems for Diamond City. Everybody wins." He shrugged. "Until recently that is. Nelson's been complaining about my cut for a while now. I think he's planning to cut me out. Fine by me, but I want to do it on my own terms. I've just been waiting for the right opportunity to present itself, and here you are. Our next meeting's in a couple of days. The plan is simple. Take the cash and the chems. Even splitting it three ways, I'll have plenty to make a new start somewhere else."

"What about afterwards? Won't everyone be after us?"

"Come on. You know the answer. No witnesses. So… you in?"

Nora thought for a few minutes, then sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, OK, I'm in."

Henry beamed.

"Good. I promise you won't regret it. The meet's over by Back Street Apparel, 5pm two days from now. I'll meet you and Paul there."

Nora nodded, left the house, and went in search of Paul. She found him pacing nervously outside the Colonial Taphouse, obviously waiting for her.

"Well?"

"Cooke won't be bothering Darcy anymore."

He sighed with relief.

"Good."

"He's also thinking of leaving town, but he needs our help to do it."

He frowned.

"What kind of help?"

She took him by the elbow and led him up towards the top of the stadium where they wouldn't be heard, before explaining Henry's plan to him.

"Sounds dangerous, but if it'll get him out of here, I'll do it." He shrugged. "The cash won't hurt either. Once he's gone I could buy Cooke's house. Darcy could finally be an upper stander, like she's always wanted."

\+ + +

Two days later, Nora and Paul made their way towards the meeting place Henry had specified. Nora had brought Cait as backup. The whole business made her uneasy, and she didn't think Piper would really approve of it, so she had only told her she'd picked up a job to deal with some Triggermen. Henry arrived about five minutes after they did.

"Good, you're here. We're late, but I'm sure Trish won't hand over the chems till I get there. See, I'm the one she trusts."

"What can we expect?"

"There's always four of Marowski's goons; Trish, who's in charge, and then three other guys to unload the boat and wave their guns around. You should be able to work your way around these buildings to get a good angle on them. I'll wait for the shooting to start, then join in from here. Remember, we can't afford to let anybody get away."

"What about Nelson?"

"I'll deal with Nelson. You worry about Marowski's crew. We all set?"

Nora nodded.

"Cait, you stay here with Henry. Paul, you come with me."

Cait nodded curtly and drew her weapon as Nora and Paul started off. 

"You sure we can trust him?" Paul asked once they were out of earshot.

Nora shrugged.

"Don't know. That's why I left my friend to keep an eye on him. If he goes rogue, she'll put a stop to him."

Paul nodded. After a couple of blocks, they turned towards the river, and crept along till they could see Nelson and the Triggermen. They took cover behind a dumpster and watched the group for a few moments.

"OK. I'll take that guy in the back first. You aim at one of the others."

Paul nodded and they unholstered their weapons.

"On my mark. Three, two, one… mark."

They shot simultaneously. Nora's target fell without a sound. Paul hit his in the knee, and he fell with a cry of pain. Nelson, Trish and the other Triggerman turned towards them, trying to figure out where the shots had come from, and almost immediately, two more shots rang out and Nelson and the third Triggerman fell dead. Henry appeared, followed by Cait. He walked over to the man Paul had hit and shot him in the head, then turned his weapon on Trish, who raised her hands furiously.

"Cooke, you bastard! Marowski's gonna kill you for this!" they heard her say as they joined Henry and Cait.

Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I think you have more immediate problems."

Her eyes widened.

"Wait! I can help you! This here?" She waved at the crates her men had been unloading. "This is nothing compared to what's at Marowski's chem lab." Seeing the grim look on Henry's face, she turned towards Nora, Cait and Paul, trying to appeal to them. Cait perked up.

"What's at this chem lab?" she asked.

"More chems than you can imagine. Marowski's entire stash. But you'll never find it without my help."

"Why would we need your help to find this lab?" Nora put in.

"Because first, you don't know where it is. Second, even if you did know where it was, it's heavily protected. Third, even if you can get past security, you won't be able to get into the lab without my password. But I'll tell you everything you need to know if you promise to let me go."

Henry grabbed Nora's elbow and dragged her a few steps away. Nora pulled her arm free and put a hand out to stop Cait, who was on the point of knocking him unconscious.

"Remember what I said, no witnesses. We can't let her go!"

"After losing him this shipment _and_ betraying him by giving us the location of the lab, do you really think she'll be going back to Marowski?"

Henry glowered and muttered to himself, but didn't stop her when she returned to Trish.

"You've got a deal."

"OK." She glanced between the four of them. "I guess I have to trust you. The lab is in the Four Leaf Fishpacking Plant, on the waterfront in South Boston."

Nora nodded.

"OK. Let's hear about the security."

"The place is overrun with feral ghouls. My whole crew is ghouls, like me, so the ferals don't even look twice at us." She preened a little. "My idea, by the way."

"I assume there's more to it than getting past the ferals."

"You assume right. The real security is a series of tripwires that have to be triggered in the right order to open the door of the lab, but there is a terminal that will bypass the tripwires, and I have the password." She paused and looked between Nora and Henry, who was still glaring. "So… I have your promise, right? If I give you the password, you let me walk?"

"And you promise not to tell Marowski we had anything to do with this?"

Trish rolled her eyes.

"Of course! After this fiasco, Marowski wouldn't trust me anyway. I'm going to have to find another job. After I leave here, I've never heard of any of you in my life." She waited until Nora nodded. "To get to the lab, go up the stairs on the side of the building to the roof, then down a second set of stairs on the front of the building and you'll see the door and the terminal. The password's applejack. There, now you've got everything, and I'm completely screwed forever!"

As she turned to leave, Henry raised his pistol.

"Sorry, Trish."

Her reaction was immediate. She threw herself to the side in a roll, and came up with her weapon drawn. Before Henry could take a second shot, she put a bullet between his eyes, then turned the weapon on Nora, who raised her hands.

"He was an idiot. He broke our agreement and he's paid for it."

Trish hesitated, then nodded, lowered her gun and turned to leave again. Nora sighed and shook her head.

"You should have just let her go, Henry."

"So… I guess it's a two-way split now. Fifty-fifty?" said Paul, who had been silent until now. 

Nora nodded. She emptied the pockets of the five dead men and laid the contents on one of the chem crates, while Paul opened a few of the crates and looked inside.

"How about you take the cash and I take the chems," he suggested.

Cait frowned.

"The chems are worth way more than that," she pointed at the pile of cash Nora had found in Nelson's pockets.

"Yeah, if you could sell them right here, right now. But I'm going to have to pay McDonough his cut plus move all this back to town."

Nora put a hand on Cait's arm.

"It's fine, Paul. We'll take the cash."

He nodded in relief as she gathered it up, and herded Cati, who kept looking wistfully at the chem crates, back towards Diamond City. Nora turned to Cait once they were out of sight of Paul.

"Not to be an enabler, but don't forget there's still the chem lab. Paul didn't say anything about that."

Cait's eyes brightened.

\+ + +

"So… did ye have any plans for today?" Cait asked over breakfast the next morning, looking oh-so-casual.

Nora sighed. She should have known better than to hope Cait would forget about Marowski's lab. 

"Look, Cait. This is a business transaction, not a shopping trip, OK?"

Cait nodded innocently.

"Course. So're we goin'?"

"Yeah. Just let me finish here and get my gear together."

\+ + +

It took them over eight hours to get to the fishpacking plant. They had to sneak their way past several raider camps, and deal with wild dogs and bloodbugs on the way. They huddled in the shade provided by the building across from the plant and surveyed the area.

"Trish forgot to mention the pack of super mutants across the street. I'd rather not have to deal with them _and_ the ghouls."

Cait nodded.

"What if we head back that way and down to the river along the other side of this building? Might give us enough distance from the muties so they won't notice us."

"Worth a try. Let's go."

They did as Cait suggested. As an additional precaution, they put suppressors on their weapons. Nora pointed to a truck next to the fence outside the plant. Cait nodded and clambered up. They lay on top of the truck overlooking the loading dock and looked around. Nora grimaced.

"She wasn't kidding. The place is completely overrun. OK, let's do this. Quiet as possible, and hopefully the super mutants will think they're after a bloodbug or something."

As soon as they took their first shots, the rest of the ghouls in the area started towards the fallen ones. From their vantage point, they were able to deal with the creatures efficiently. It took several minutes, but eventually silence fell. They waited a few minutes more, listening for more ghouls, and for any indication that the super mutants had taken an interest in the noise, but they heard nothing.

The climbed quietly off the truck and made their way through the tangle of trailers in the loading dock to the stairs on the side of the building and up to the roof. They found the second set of stairs Trish had mentioned and at the end of the walkway, the door to the lab. Nora entered the password in the terminal, and they both took a moment to make sure their weapons were loaded. They crouched on either side of the double door, and pushed it open, taking the hazmat suited lab technicians inside by surprise, and dropping them all in a matter of seconds.

They entered the lab cautiously, double-checking that they hadn't missed anybody. Cait's eyes gleamed as she took in the rows of coolers, all, presumably, full of chems. Nora put a hand on her arm.

"Remember what I said. Once we sell these and you get your cut, you can spend it on whatever you like."

Cait scowled, but nodded, and they started looking through all the containers, collecting everything of value in a pile by the entrance. Nora checked the time on her pip boy as she dropped her last load on the pile.

"We're going to have to spend the night here. It'll already be getting dark outside."

Cait nodded. 

"Fine by me. I've slept in worse places. At least there are mattresses here. Erm…" She glanced at the doors. "Reckon we should block ourselves in, though?"

"Yeah, good idea. We don't know when more of Marowski's goons are due to arrive."

After blockading the doors, they spent the evening sorting the contents of the pile into their packs, before having a bite to eat and settling down for the night. They headed back to Diamond City at first light, making it back around mid-afternoon. 

They stopped off at Chem-I-Care on the way back to Home Plate.

"Hey, Solomon?"

The bearded and laid back chem dealer smiled beatifically at them.

"Well if it isn't one of my best customers and my next-door neighbor. How're we doing today, ladies?"

Nora took a couple of steps closer and looked around to make sure no one was listening to them.

"We came upon a pretty hefty stash of chems yesterday. You interested in buying?"

He scratched his beard.

"I might be. I'd have to examine the goods, first."

Nora nodded.

"Sure. How about you stop by my place after you close up here tonight?"

"Sounds good." He glanced over her shoulder and nodded amicably at someone. "Afternoon, Piper."

Nora turned with a smile, which faded when she saw the look on Piper's face.

"Hey, Pipes."

Cait cleared her throat. 

"I, uh… I think I hear someone callin' me."

She turned and walked into Home Plate. Nora watched her go, then turned back to Piper.

"Let me put down my pack and then we can go to your place and talk?"

Piper nodded and Nora opened the door of Home Plate and dropped her pack just inside. When she turned, Piper had already started for Publick Occurrences, leaving Nora to hurry after her, wondering what she'd done wrong. As she reached for the doorknob, the door opened and Nat scurried out.

"I don't know what you did, but you're in trouble!" she said in a singsong voice as she ran past.

Nora hesitated in the doorway before stepping through and closing the door behind her. Piper was standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed, her expression blank.

"Hey, Pipes," Nora said again.

"I don't even know where to start. Do I start with the fact that two men are dead, and your name's been mentioned in connection with one of them? Or with the fact that I don't see you for days, and when I finally find you, you've turned into a chem dealer?"

"No, Pipes, I can explain."

"Well, explain then, Blue. Because it looks bad."

Nora sighed and ran a hand through her hair. 

"I mean, it's not great, but… OK." She started explaining the events of the past few days. She paused, pulling on her earlobe when she finished talking about the attack on Trish and the Triggermen. "Henry broke an agreement and paid the price. As for Nelson, he must have gotten caught in the crossfire. He backed away out of my line of sight when the first shots were fired, and when it was all over, he was dead."

"You don't think Henry killed him?"

Nora looked up in surprise.

"No! He said he'd take care of him. He wanted to buy him out, not kill him."

Piper rolled her eyes.

"God, Blue, you are so innocent in some ways. Henry was kind of a creep. There's a reason I go to the Dugout and not the Taphouse. I could totally see him 'taking out' Nelson permanently." She sighed, walked over to her and put a hand on her cheek. "Don't ever change. I love that you always think the best of people." She kissed Nora gently, took her hand and led her to the couch. "Now, about the drugs you're trying to sell to Solomon. I take it they're the ones Henry and Nelson were there to buy?"

Nora shook her head.

"No, Paul took those as his share. Cait and I went to Marowski's lab and cleared it out. I have to get rid of them somehow. They're no use to me, and too much of a temptation to Cait if I keep them around."

Piper groaned and put her head in her hands.

"I mean, I don't hate that there's one less chem lab in the Commonwealth. I just hope Marowski doesn't figure out it was you."

Nora fiddled nervously with the hem of her shirt.

"How did you figure out I was involved?"

Piper raised an eyebrow.

"It's called investigative journalism, Blue."

"Right. Sorry."

Piper stood and held a hand out to Nora. 

"Come on. We'd better go make sure Cait and Solomon don't sample too many of the wares before you can sell them to him."

\+ + +

Piper and Nora headed to the Dugout after finishing with Solomon. Piper said she had to get the taste of being a chems dealer, even if only second hand, out of her mouth somehow. Nora went to find a place to sit while Piper went up to the bar to get them some drinks. Almost as soon as she sat down, she was approached by a woman in armor. The woman sat next to her and smiled.

"Hey there, can I buy you a drink?"

"Oh, I… no, thanks." She glanced up with relief to see Piper approaching with two beers. "I'm actually here with my girlfriend." She saw Piper's eyes light up when she heard this, and she smiled in response.

The woman sighed.

"All right. Straight to the point, then. I'm actually looking for Henry Cooke. Do you know where I might find him?"

"I… why are you looking for him?"

"Fair question. My name's Colette Cooke. Henry's my father. I came to town to check up on him and no one seems to know where he is. But a few people said he'd been seen talking to you a few days ago."

Nora hesitated for a moment and glanced at Piper.

"He's… dead."

Colette frowned.

"Is that so? And what do you know about it?"

"I don't know how much you know about your father's businesses, but he and Nelson Latimer were buying chems from Marowski's gang and smuggling them into town to avoid paying the mayor his cut. Nelson was trying to cut him out, and Henry had just gotten caught having an affair with a married woman, so he'd decided it was time to move on and set up somewhere else. He wanted to stick it to both Nelson and Marowski by stealing the money and chems from one of their deals, but he got killed in the attempt."

Colette sighed and shook her head.

"There's enough in your story that I know to be true, that I have to believe the rest is too. Thanks for letting me know." She stood. "I'd better go."

Piper leaned against Nora.

"You didn't tell her that Henry got killed double-crossing someone."

"I just told her that her father's dead. Why add insult to injury?"

\+ + +

Nora opened the door of Home Plate the next morning to find Pete Pembroke, Paul and Darcy's son on the doorstep, one hand up to knock, the other holding a slip of paper.

"Got paid to deliver this to you. Gonna be late for school!" He turned and dashed away, leaving Nora looking bemusedly at the folded sheet.

She closed the door and unfolded the note.

 _"Please come see me. We need to talk. Malcom Latimer._

Nora groaned.

"Oh, god."

"Problem?" Cait looked up from her plate of scrambled eggs.

"Oh, just an invitation from Nelson Latimer's father."

Cait looked at her for a moment, eyes wide.

"I, uh… I think I hear someone callin' me." She stuffed the last of her eggs into her mouth, got up from the table and hurried out the back door. Nora gave a sarcastic laugh and shook her head, before heading out the front door and up to Malcom Latimer's house.

He answered her knock promptly and waved her inside.

"Is there a problem?"

He closed the door behind them and turned to her angrily.

"The problem is I've learned you killed my son Nelson. Is this true?" 

Nora sighed.

"I… didn't kill him. But I was involved in his death."

Malcom balled his hands into fists and took a step towards her.

"Why? What happened?"

"Nelson was buying chems from Marowski, and the deal went bad. He got caught in the crossfire. I'm sorry he's dead."

Malcom sighed.

"I knew he was dealing with Marowski. I know he was no choir boy. I always hoped he'd get that out of his system and make me proud one day. That's done now." He shook his head. "And now it makes sense why Marowski would try to put the blame on you."

Nora felt the blood drain from her face.

"It was Marowski that told you I killed him?"

Malcom nodded.

"Thanks for telling me the truth." He opened the door. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone now."


	36. The Molecular Level

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines build a teleporter

They arrived at Sunshine Tidings Co-op with the final load of supplies for the teleporter. With Tom taking the lead on the build, they were able to finish the device within a week. They planned to turn the machine on and start scanning for teleportation signals first thing the next morning. 

After dinner, Desdemona took Nora aside to give her some final instructions. Piper, feeling anxious and useless, took a walk around the settlement, trying to calm her nerves, ending up in the cabin she and Nora had been sharing for the past few days.

Nora sat in the cabin Desdemona had taken for her own, watching the other woman pace up and down in front of her.

"The Institute is a huge unknown. Before we can make any plans, you need to do something. What I'm about to tell you is the most closely guarded secret the Railroad has. It's time you learn about Patriot."

"Patriot?"

"There's a man - or woman, we're not sure - inside the Institute who helps synths escape to freedom. Dozens of synths owe him their lives. We don't know his name, we've never had a way to contact him, so we gave him the code name Patriot. Once you're inside the Institute, we need you to contact Patriot."

"How do I do that if you know nothing about him?" 

Desdemona paused in her pacing.

"Patriot devised a method to communicate with us one way. Tom figured out a way to use those messages to send him a message. We can plant a coded message on an Institute terminal, and if all goes well, he'll respond. "

She took a holotape from her pocket and held it out to Nora.

"The message is on this holotape. Until you make contact, and probably after, you need to stay in their good graces. You need to infiltrate them. Can you do that? Can you be our agent on the inside?"

Nora took the holotape from Desdemona and slipped it into her pocket.

"I'll do my best."

"I believe in you. Do whatever you can to gain their trust. Lie, tell them what they want to hear. Make up a cover story and sell it. There's another program on that tape, a network scanner. Run that after you've contacted Patriot and it will copy over information from their network. Just get all the information you can, about synths, about the Institute's plans. Find their weaknesses. If we can disable or destroy the Institute, we may have to do it." 

Nora nodded and stood.

"Anything else?"

Desdemona shook her head.

"Get some rest. You'll have a busy day tomorrow."

As Nora left Desdemona's cabin, she saw Cait leaving the mess hall, and jogged to catch up with her.

"Hey, Cait. I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it?"

"Once I'm gone, I want you to go back to Diamond City with Piper. Watch each others' backs. Will you?"

Cait nodded.

"All right."

"Here's the key to Home Plate. You can stay there as long as you like." She held the key out to Cait.

"Hey, don't do anythin' stupid, will ye?"

Nora smiled, trying to lighten the mood. 

"I won't do anything you wouldn't do." 

Cait rolled her eyes and punched her lightly in the arm.

"I'm bein' serious."

"I'll be careful."

Cait suddenly pulled her into a rough hug, surprising Nora with the unusual display of affection, then just as suddenly pulled away and headed to her cabin.

Nora found Piper sitting on the edge of the bed in their cabin, knee jiggling nervously up and down. She sat next to her.

"What did she tell you?" 

"Instructions on what to do when I get in there - scanning their network using a program Tom wrote, and contacting their inside guy, the person who's been helping the synths escape."

Piper nodded, and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I don't like that you have to go in alone, with no one to watch your back." Piper hadn't meant to say that out loud. She'd been trying to be fully supportive. Nora moved to sit behind Piper, legs on either side of her and wrapped her arms around her. Piper leaned into the embrace, her head against Nora's cheek.

"I wish you could come with me." Nora hesitated for a moment. "I'm... afraid. Of what I'll find, or won't find. Tom and Desdemona are fixated on the synths, but all I can think about is Shaun."

They spent most of the night awake, talking, holding each other, each providing what comfort they could to the other.

The next morning, Tom turned on the device, and they waited. They had no way of knowing how often the Institute used their relay, as Virgil had called it, so they just had to sit and wait for a signal.

Piper and Nora sat together on a couch in the barn where they had set up the device's console, watching Tom as he listened for the signal. They didn't speak much, just held hands. They had said all they needed to the night before.

Finally, around mid-morning, Tom sat up on his stool.

"I think I got it! Signal is intensifying. Just stand on the platform, I'll take it from there."

Des walked over from the other side of the room as Nora and Piper stood and walked towards the platform. 

"Find a way to save them. Nobody else can. Good luck."

Nora nodded. Piper hugged her tightly.

"Be safe and come back to me. I love you."

"I love you too." She pulled back, kissed her, hugged her again, and then pulled away and walked to the platform, giving Cait's arm a quick squeeze as she walked past her. 

"OK," yelled Tom. "Stand still. Gotta lock in all those molecules of yours. Hopefully we won't miss any... there's only, you know, 60 trillion of them." 

"Not helping, Tom!" 

"Sorry, sorry! All right, feeding our baby some juice. Let's see what she's got."

Nora flinched as a tube next to her popped out and started spewing coolant vapor.

"Oh, man! Uh, don't worry. That's... all part of the plan. OK, I think I got it. Establishing lock on the Institute signal. Got the RF!" 

As Piper watched, Nora turned to look at her, then disappeared in a flash of blue, and the machine exploded.

Piper turned horrified eyes towards Tom, who was scrambling back from the console, which was now in flames. Cait came to stand next to her and patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Tom! What happened, did Eighty-six make it?" Desdemona's voice sounded as horrified as Piper felt.

"No, we're good, we're good! She, uh, she dematerialized before it blew up."

Desdemona looked around shakily. 

"Well, either way, there's nothing to do now but wait."


	37. Institutionalized

Nora clapped her hands to her head and fell to her knees, panting. God, it felt like her skull was about to split in half. After about thirty seconds, the pain started to recede and she was able to look around.

She found herself in a circular room with a door directly in front of her. She walked quietly to the door, and looked through. The room beyond was deserted. There was a console just beyond the door, and embedded into it, a terminal. After another quick look around, to make sure she was alone, Nora sat at the terminal and plugged in the holotape Des had given her. Three prompts came up on the screen; a note from Tom, the encrypted message to Patriot, and the network scanning program. Nora quickly read through the note from Tom, then ran the other two programs. By the time the network scanner had finished downloading its data to the holotape, she saw that Patriot had already responded, proposing a meeting location. Now she just had to figure out where that was. 

As she looked around again, the first thing she noticed was how clean everything looked. She had become used to the constant dust and grime of the wasteland. 

She saw that there were three exits from the room she was in. The first led back into the relay room. The second, to her right as she looked at the terminal, appeared to be a storage space, and was a dead end. The third was directly across from the relay room. As she approached this doorway, she heard a voice.

"Hello."

She immediately took a step to the side, out of line of sight from anyone in the next room and crouched. The voice continued.

"I wondered if you might make it here. You're quite resourceful."

Nora crept up to the doorway and looked through. There were steps leading down, but she couldn't see anyone.

"I am known as Father. The Institute is under my guidance."

She realized that the voice must becoming from speakers hidden within the walls. It seemed to surround her.

"I know why you're here. I'd like to discuss things with you, face to face. Please, step into the elevator." 

As she walked down the steps into the next room, she saw the doors of a round glass elevator slide open. She ignored it and looked around the room. There was another door to her left, but it had no handle, and as far as she could see, no other way to open it. She sighed and looked back at the elevator. Well, they obviously knew she was here, and they hadn't started off by trying to kill her. 

She wiped her hands on her thighs, took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator. Before she could press the call button, the door slid closed and it started to descend slowly. The voice continued, again seeming to come from all around her.

"I can only imagine what you've heard, what you think of us. I'd like to show you that you may have the wrong impression. Welcome to the Institute."

As he said that, the elevator dropped into a large open space. Nora gaped. It was so big! This appeared to be a central courtyard. It was circular, four stories tall, with corridors leading downwards at the cardinal points, and upwards at the ordinal points. And there were trees, real trees, tall and green, growing in the courtyard. The voice continued as she looked around.

"This is the reality of the Institute. This place, these people, the work we do. For over a hundred years, we've dedicated ourselves to humanity's survival."

The floor appeared to be made of glass, and there was water flowing under it towards the elevator shaft, which was the center of the room. There were windows in the walls of the courtyard, showing three floors' worth of rooms and corridors. 

"Decades of research, countless experiments and trials, a shared vision of how science can help shape the future. It has never been easy, and our actions are often misinterpreted by those above ground."

She could see quite a few people walking around, both in the courtyard, and through the windows. They all wore white - either lab coats or jumpsuits - with occasional splashes of color, red, green, black, blue, yellow. And again, what she noticed most was how clean everything was.

"Someday, perhaps, we can show them what we've accomplished. But for now, we must remain underground. There's too much at stake here to risk it all. As you've seen, things above are... unstable."

As the elevator dropped below the level of the courtyard, she wondered rather cynically, if the elevator was always this slow, or if they had slowed it down for her benefit, to give her a good look at what they had to offer.

"I'd like to talk to you about what we can do... for everyone. But that can wait. You are here for a specific, very personal reason. You are here for your son."

Nora felt her breath hitch as he said that. The elevator came to a stop and the door opened. She walked out cautiously, but as in the room above, the place was deserted. She continued through the corridor until she came upon another, smaller elevator. She stepped in and pressed the button.

When the door reopened, she saw, just ahead of her, a small, glass-enclosed room, and sitting on the floor with his back to her, the child she had seen in Kellogg's memories. She could feel her heart pounding as she stepped up to the glass and crouched down to the child's level.

"Shaun?"

The boy turned around and stood up.

"Huh? Yes, I'm Shaun."

She felt a lump forming in her throat and tried to swallow it down. 

"Shaun? Oh my god, it's really you..."

The little boy frowned.

"Who are you?"

Nora's voice broke. "I'm... I'm your mom."

"Father, what's going on? What's happening?"

She put a hand on the glass.

"Shaun, are you OK? You're not hurt, are you?"

The boy started to panic.

"What's going on? Father? Father, help me!"

"Shaun, please." Her eyes filled with tears. She stood and went to the door of the little cubicle, but couldn't find a way to open it. The boy continued calling for 'Father' sounding more frantic by the second. A door to the right of the cubicle opened, and a grey-haired man walked through.

"Shaun... S9-23. Recall code Cirrus." 

As he spoke the words, the boy fell silent, head drooping onto his chest, eyes closed. Nora looked between the two of them, wide-eyed.

"He's a synth?"

The man sighed, looking at the child.

"Fascinating... but disappointing. The child's responses were not at all what I anticipated. He's a prototype, you understand. We're only just now beginning to explore the effects of extreme emotional stimuli."

She recognized his voice now as the one that had spoken to her before. This was 'Father.' He finally turned to look at her.

"Please, try to keep an open mind. I recognize that you are emotional, and that your journey here has been fraught with challenges. Let's start anew. I am Father. Welcome to the Institute."

Nora took a deep breath and tried to compose herself.

"Give me Shaun. The real Shaun. Right now."

He sighed. "The situation is more complicated than you could have imagined. You have traveled far and suffered a great deal to find your son. Well, your tenacity and dedication have been rewarded." He gave her a small smile. "It is good to finally meet you after all this time. It's me. I am Shaun."

Nora shook her head vehemently. "This is crazy."

"I assure you, I am completely sane, and entirely honest. In the vault, you had no concept of the passage of time. When you were first released from your pod, you believed your son was still an infant, then you were led to believe he was a child of ten. Is it such a stretch now to learn that, rather than ten years, sixty years had passed? That is the reality."

Nora looked at him silently for a few moments. She didn't want to believe it, but she could see the resemblance to Nate in the man's face. More than that, she could see her own eyes looking back at her.

"And here I am. Raised by the Institute, and now its leader."

She shook her head again.

"They stole you from me. It wasn't right. Why would they do that? Why take a child?"

"Ah, now that is the question, is it not?" He went on to explain that, sixty years earlier, the Institute had been trying to upgrade their synth program to produce more lifelike synths using human DNA as the blueprint. Their first attempts had failed, because, even living their whole lives underground, the residents of the Institute had been exposed to too much radiation. When they found references to a vault experimenting with cryogenics, and more than that, that one of the occupants was a pre-war infant, they had jumped at the chance to acquire a sample of untainted DNA.

As she listened to him talk about the Institute and their projects in glowing terms, Nora realized, to her horror, just how thoroughly indoctrinated he was, unsurprising, after sixty years. He actually saw his own kidnapping as a benefit – both to himself and to the Institute. She couldn't deny that he had had a much safer life than she could have given him in the wasteland, but that didn't mean she condoned what had been done to her, to him, and to Nate.

She did her best to maintain a bland expression as he continued speaking, extolling the virtues of the Institute, 'humanity's best hope for the future' and 'mankind redefined'. 

"This is a life you can now be part of."

She blinked. "You want me to stay here with you?"

He nodded. "I simply ask that you give the Institute… me… a chance, keep an open mind. Will you take that chance?"

She felt as if she were being pulled in two directions. Part of her wanted to beat a strategic retreat. Another part wanted to stay. "I just don't know."

He nodded. "Give it time. The Institute is now your home as much as it is mine. Please, take some time and get to know it. Meet the people you'll be working with. Talk with the department heads and learn more about what we do."

He indicated a door behind her and she nodded hesitantly, then paused before leaving, glancing at the synth child in the glass cubicle.

"What about…?" She indicated him with a nod of her head.

"A fascinating project. There are issues to be solved, but we've made remarkable progress."

"But why make it look like you?"

He shrugged. "It struck me as an interesting variation." He paused for a moment, then continued, almost hesitantly. "I'll admit, I'm curious. As a parent looking for her child, looking for the younger version of me, what do you think? Do you think you could love him? Like you would a real boy?"

She rested her hand on the glass, looking at the child-synth, then shook her head.

"This is all just… too much. I just don't know anymore."

He nodded. "I understand. You've been through quite a lot. I don't claim to know everything you're feeling, but, if in some small way the boy's presence can help, I hope you'll keep an open mind."

She nodded and left the room, collapsing onto a bench outside it. She sat for a long moment, mourning the loss of both the infant she had last seen a few months ago and the child she had thought she would be rescuing.

"Ma'am?"

She opened her eyes to find a second-generation synth standing next to her.

"I have been instructed to show you to your quarters. If you would follow me?"

Quarters? They were giving her quarters? She stood and nodded, following it as it started up the circular staircase. As they walked, she asked it about the facility, and it told her about the layout. 

As she had already noticed, the facility was circular. The wedge they were in now, the east wedge, housed the director's quarters on the second and third levels, and a conference room on the fourth. The other three wedges contained the quarters of the department heads and other high-ranking residents. The first level of each wedge contained common areas - cafeteria, clinic, shop, seating area. There was a corridor on the fourth level linking all four living areas.

In the half-wedges between the living areas were the entrances to the four main departments: Advanced Systems, Robotics, Bioscience and the SRB, the Synth Retention Board. They could be accessed via the upward ramps she had seen from the elevator. 

She continued asking it questions about the facility and where various things were located, slipping in the location Patriot had given her for them to meet among the other questions.

It led her to the third level of the south wedge, one wedge over from Shaun's. She had to admit, as she looked the place over, that she hadn't seen such comfortable quarters since before entering the vault, over 200 years earlier. She looked back to see the symth hesitating in the doorway. 

"Father has requested that you join him for dinner in his quarters this evening. Will you require assistance finding your way back?"

"No, thank you."

It gave her the time to meet, and left. She stood in the doorway for a few moments, trying to figure out the door controls. She gave a sigh of relief when she found a way to lock the door behind her and went back in to explore the quarters. 

The suite was fully stocked with anything she might need, including one of those ubiquitous jumpsuits so many of the residents seemed to wear, which was fortunate, because she had brought very little with her, and she still didn't know how she would manage to get back out. If she had to spend the night, at least she wouldn't have to sleep in her clothes.

From what she had seen so far, Shaun was doing his best to impress her and to try and convince her to join them. She didn't think she would come to any harm while following his instructions to meet the other residents, so she decided to leave her armor and weapons behind before heading back downstairs.

She decided to walk around the central area of the facility first, because it was all so uniform, that even with the synth's explanations, she was feeling completely lost. As she walked around, she noticed some curious looks from the residents, but no one came up to speak to her, and she didn't notice any animosity in their glances.

Finishing her walk, she found herself outside the door to the Robotics division, and walked in, pausing just inside the door to take in the scene before her. It took her a few moments to realize that she was watching synth construction. 

It began with a machine assembling the skeleton in a round framework. After inspecting the work, the machine then moved the framework over to the next station, where it... the only word she could think of was stitched... veins, muscles and organs onto the skeleton. Following another inspection the framework was moved to a third station, where the various tissues were given electric shocks. She watched it change from the grey of a corpse to the red of healthy muscle as the blood began to flow, and she could see it moving slightly as it began breathing. It reminded her of nothing more than da Vinci's Vitruvian Man sketch. Another inspection, and the framework was completely submerged in a pool of red liquid in the center of the room. Within a few seconds, the synth sat up, now covered in skin, stood and walked out of the pool. The machine then removed the framework from the pool, and returned it to the first station to start again. 

Nora watched the process again, noticing that the machine was working on two synths at a time. There was a second framework on step three, when the one she had been watching was on step one. The whole process was taking less than three minutes. It was staggering. The Institute was producing two synths every three minutes. If they wanted to, they would be able to wage a war of attrition against any enemy, simply creating new fighters to replace ones that were killed.

As she looked away from the building process and around the rest of the lab, she realized that this appeared to be all that happened here. She wondered if there were another lab where they built the earlier model synths, or if they had completely phased out their production and were concentrating entirely on the Gen 3s. 

She also wondered, as she watched another new synth disappear through a small door marked, 'Processing', how much more there was to the facility. The living quarters off the courtyard were nowhere near enough to house all the people she had seen, but her synth guide hadn't mentioned where everyone else slept.

As she continued to watch, she became aware of a discussion – almost an argument - taking place between two of the scientists. One was mentioning that the Gen 3 synths were exhibiting Rapid Eye Movement during their sleep cycles. He wondered, excitedly, whether this indicated that they were developing sentience, whether, perhaps, they might have souls, which would make them just like people. The other man seemed to find the whole idea distasteful, and shut down the conversation as quickly as he could. 

Nora went up to the first man and introduced herself. He turned out to be Alan Binet, the head of the Robotics division. He spoke to her enthusiastically about his work, and she could sense that he had a real affection towards the synths he was creating, seeing them as more than mere robots or androids.

After a long and pleasant chat, she left the Robotics division, and went searching for Patriot. In the maintenance room Patriot had mentioned, she found a young man. Very young. She doubted he was out of his teens yet.

"I'm… supposed to be meeting someone here?"

He looked at her nervously. "Are you the one who sent the message? How did you do that? I didn't think anyone on the surface would be able to crack that encryption algorithm."

"A friend of mine cracked your encryption."

"Wow. He must have some serious hardware. I'm Liam Binet, by the way."

"Binet? As in Alan's…?" She left the question hanging.

"Alan's my dad. You've met him?"

She nodded. "Just came from there, actually."

"So, the message you sent me, all it said was 'Friend.' What did you mean by that?"

"The Railroad sent me to look for someone they call Patriot. That's you."

His eyes widened. "The Railroad? As in _the_ Railroad? And they gave me a code name?" He looked positively delighted. "I kept sending synths to the surface hoping someone would help them, but I had no way of knowing for certain."

"You've saved a lot of synths, Liam."

"Wow. This is so much to take in." He paused, looking thoughtful. "I have an idea. Now that you're here, maybe we can rescue a lot of synths at once. But we'll need help. Follow me." 

He led the way out of the little closet, chatting about more innocuous subjects once they got out in the open where others could hear them. He led her into a section of the courtyard where a synth was raking leaves. He sat on a bench nearby, not looking at the synth. Nora followed his lead and did the same.

"Z1-14, I need to talk to you."

"Did you require something, sir?" The synth's voice was cool and formal.

"It's OK, Z1. She's a friend. She's with the Railroad."

He looked dubious. "I've never met another human willing to help… but sir, we must make this quick."

"How many synths want to escape right now, Z1?"

"Thirteen, that I know for certain."

"Let's free those thirteen all at once."

They talked briefly about the challenges this would present. Z1 finally agreed that, if Liam could get the access tunnels that led to the relay unlocked, the plan could work. Seeing someone approach, Z1 hefted his rake and made to leave.

"Excuse me, I must focus on my duties."

As he walked away, Liam leaned towards her.

"All I'll need to do to get those tunnels open is plug an extra terminal into the system. There are plenty of old pre-war ones in storage. The only problem is, I haven't been able to crack the encryption on those old pre-war terminals. But now that you're here, maybe you'll be able to help me."

Nora shook her head dubiously. 

"Look, I may be from that time period, but I don't know anything about hacking."

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant. I was hoping you'd be able to find me a password up on the surface. The CIT ruins, which are the obvious place to look, have been picked clean. But I"m sure your friends in the Railroad will have some ideas of other places to look."

"How do I get back up to the surface, though?"

"They haven't told you yet?"

She shook her head.

"I heard that they were planning on putting a courser chip into your pip boy so that you could teleport in and out like they do. Talk to Dr. Li in Advanced Systems."

"Thanks, Liam. I'll get back to you when I find the password."

She glanced at her pip boy as he left and was surprised to find it was nearly dinnertime. Dr. Li would have to wait. She went back up to her quarters to freshen up, and then made her way to Shaun's rooms.

Their dinner conversation was awkward and stilted. He seemed very eager to impress her, but she had trouble understanding why. Why, at this point in his life, did he want to get to know his mother?

That night, as she lay on the bed in her locked quarters, she thought back on the day. The Institute was an impressive place. But she couldn't help but wish that more people in it were like Alan and Liam Binet. Those two seemed to care, not just about their fellow residents, but about the synths they were creating, and about people on the surface. Liam had lamented that the Institute ignored the wastelanders, hoarding the technologies they created for their own use. She agreed with him. Quite beyond the violence the Institute visited on the people of the Commonwealth, she found it unconscionable that they could ignore the suffering of all those people when they had it within their means to alleviate it.

She thought back on Shaun's words. "The Institute is humanity's only hope." She was starting to believe that what they meant was the humans in the Institute, and not humanity at large.

\+ + +

It took Nora a few moments to remember where she was when she woke up. She sighed and sat up. She hoped it wouldn't take long for Dr. Li to add the chip to her pip boy. She was eager to return home. She stood and walked into the bathroom. She had taken full advantage of the hot shower the night before, before changing into the jumpsuit to sleep, and had also washed out her clothes and left them drying on the towel racks, since she only carried one spare shirt in her pack.

She took another hot shower now, letting the spray beat against tense muscles and feeling them relax. She joined some other early risers in the cafeteria for breakfast. Though the adults still tended to leave her alone, there were a few children who were eager to chat with her, and she had a pleasant enough meal.

She made her way to Advanced Systems after breakfast. Dr. Li proved to be a short-tempered woman, who did not appreciate having her work interrupted. She answered Nora's questions as briefly as possible and then ordered Nora to hand over her pip boy so she could modify it. If Liam hadn't already warned her, she would have been extremely suspicious. Even so, she held it out somewhat reluctantly. She felt almost naked when she wasn't wearing it.

"Any idea how long it will take to make the modification?"

Dr. Li shook her head.

"The interface is completely different to a synth. Come back tomorrow morning."

Nora's heart sank. She would have to spend another night here? She left Dr. Li's office and spent some time chatting with the other scientists in Advanced Systems. The most pleasant and enthusiastic of them was a young woman named Rosalind, who was working on improvements to the Institute's pistols and rifles. They had a shooting range set up in the lab, and she encouraged Nora to try out some of her new designs.

As she left Advanced Systems later that morning, she suddenly realized she had forgotten all about Brian Virgil, and the promise she had made him. She decided it was time to make good on that promise, as he had most obviously kept his side of their bargain. He had given her instructions on how to reach his lab, and had warned her that there were automated defenses in that area, which might have been turned on after his escape, so she went back up to her quarters to equip her armor before heading down to Bioscience.

She looked into the main room first, blinking in surprise to see a glass enclosure with two or three gorillas in it. Why did the Institute have gorillas, of all things? Her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to chat with the Bioscience folks before trying to find Virgil's lab. 

She was almost more surprised to find, when talking to the director of Bioscience, Clayton Holdren, that the gorillas were synths, than she had been to see the gorillas in the first place. And as far as she could make out, his entire line of reasoning for starting the gorilla project in the first place had been because it sounded like fun. He had done a good job with them, despite knowing so little about real gorillas that he had underestimated the danger and gotten their synth caretaker killed. Not that he seemed upset by this. He was almost childishly pleased by her reaction to them.

She watched the gorillas for a while, chatted with some of the other scientists, and finally slipped away to find Virgil's lab. As she made her way further into the facility, she found herself in a much older section. This looked more like some of the ruined labs she had explored on the surface; broken glass, water damage, rust. Shortly after entering this area, she came across the first of the automated defenses, a series of three ceiling mounted turrets. 

She managed to destroy them without taking any injuries. At the end of the hallway there was a locked door and a terminal. Virgil had given her the passwords he had used before he left, but he hadn't been certain if they would still work. Fortunately for her, the second one did, and the door slid open to reveal a storeroom. She was about to step out to look around when she heard a female-sounding robotic voice and froze. An assaultron. Crap.

She still remembered the last time she had run into one of these, and she didn't have Piper with her to back her up this time. She pushed down her panic and took a deep breath, remembering that, a) she had more powerful weapons than last time, and b) her skills weren't as rusty as last time.

She pulled the hunting rifle off her back. She had converted it to fire .50 caliber rounds, and always carried it with her, but she rarely used it. She preferred pistols to rifles. In this case, however, she needed the extra firepower. The key to taking out an assaultron was speed – you had to destroy them before they could power up their laser.

As quietly as she could, she slipped through the storeroom until she had a good sight line on the robot. She lined up the shot and pulled the trigger, immediately pulling the bolt to load another round. It jammed. 

"No, no, no!" 

She fumbled for her pistol, but the assaultron was on her, stabbing and punching with its claw hands. She backpedaled, trying to get enough distance to raise her weapon, and then pulled the trigger till she was out of ammo, and the robot fell at her feet. Nora's knees gave way and she sat down with a bump. Now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off, she could feel the injuries the assaultron had inflicted. With trembling hands she took off her armor and started assessing the damage. She was starting to bruise in several places, and she had two deep puncture wounds, that would need some stitches before they could be stimpaked. And she would have to do this herself. Showing up at the clinic with these injuries would raise questions she wasn't prepared to answer.

She didn't know if there would be any more robots ahead – Virgil had only mentioned the turrets – but if there were, she was going to need her wits about her, so she skipped the med-x and started stitching with gritted teeth, muttering expletives to relieve her feelings. She took a few moments to catch her breath after she finished patching herself up, then continued along her way. She came across a few more turrets, but no more robots, by the time she found Virgil's old lab. 

She found the cure where he had told her he had last seen it, and then poked around for a while, picking up the holotapes she found scattered around, and looking through the entries in the lab terminal. It appeared that some of the people the Institute had kidnapped over the years, had ended up as guinea pigs in this lab, dosed with FEV, and then disposed of when the experiments failed. She blinked as she read one of the entries, and then went back to previous ones to double-check. Some of the subjects were marked as 'deceased' or 'terminated,' but others were marked as 'discarded.' Did that mean that they had turned these people into super mutants, and then returned them to the Commonwealth? Was the Institute the source of all the pockets of super mutants in the area? She shuddered in revulsion.

She left the lab and headed back the way she had come, pausing to put on a jacket before she got back into populated areas to avoid questions about the bloodstains on her clothes. It was mid-day when she got back out, so she stopped at the cafeteria to get something to eat, then dragged herself up to her quarters. She took a moment to wash the blood out of her shirt and change into the one she had left drying the night before, then went to lie down for a short while, and ended up sleeping the whole afternoon. 

When she checked her wounds, she found that the stimpak had done its work. They already looked like they had happened a few days earlier, and the bruising that had been developing in various areas was looking green around the edges. 

She had dinner with Shaun again, and this time she questioned him about Kellogg. The mercenary had obviously been an Institute asset long before Shaun had become its director, but it bothered her that he had continued to use the services of the man who had killed his father. His admission that he had deliberately set her against Kellogg – in his words, to allow her to have some amount of revenge – made her blood run cold. He set his own mother against a trained killer, with no knowledge of her abilities, no guarantee that she would survive. 

She finished the meal as quickly as she possibly could and fled to her quarters. In her bed that night, she found herself weeping for Nate, and for the person she had hoped Shaun would become, and for the cold, unfeeling monster the Institute had turned him into.

The next morning, as she sat in the cafeteria finishing her breakfast, she was joined by a man in a black-trimmed lab coat. He introduced himself as Justin Ayo, the head of the SRB, and proceeded to question on her on how she managed to kill the courser at Greentech. She answered evasively. She didn't think 'a friend of mind had a vision while high on jet' would go over well. She asked him about the SRB. Their primary duty was to retrieve escaped synths. She was slightly surprised to discover that coursers weren't a special model of synth, but just regular gen 3 synths who had been given special training. They looked for particular traits in new batches of synths and trained those who had them to become coursers. She noticed that the list of traits was very similar to the traits he had described in synths who tended to escape. Either he hadn't noticed that contradiction, or he was ignoring it.

She went back to Advanced Systems after breakfast and was thrilled to find that Dr. Li had finished the modifications to her pip boy. She gave Nora a brief overview of how to use the new feature and sent her on her way.

On her way out of Advanced Systems, she nearly ran into a woman in a yellow trimmed lab coat. The woman smiled at her.

"They weren't kidding. You really are here."

She introduced herself as Allie Filmore, Chief Engineer and the head of the Facilities division. Nora found her to be one of the only pleasant people she had met at the Institute so far. They walked together for a while, and Allie pointed out various features of the facility and chatted about her family and the other residents of the Institute. Of all the people she had met at the Institute so far, Allie was the only one she could imagine having as a friend.

They were interrupted by a synth, who came to tell Nora that Shaun wished to speak with her. She thanked Allie for her time, and went up to Shaun's quarters. He had a task for her. They had found the whereabouts of an escaped synth, one that the Railroad had helped, and that had undergone a mind wipe with Dr. Amari. Since the mind wipe, this synth had taken up as a raider, and was now the leader of a large raider gang in Nahant. He wanted her to join the courser that had been assigned to retrieve this synth and assist him.

Remembering Desdemona's instructions to stay on the Institute's good side, she agreed to his request. After collecting the few things she had left behind in her quarters, she activated the new teleportation feature on her pip boy, and with a flash of blue, found herself in daylight. She crouched and looked around for a few moments, then realized she was on the roof of one of the CIT buildings. She was nearly home.


	38. Reporting In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine returns to the surface

Nora walked down the ramp into Diamond City and smiled at Nat, standing on her usual crate, hawking papers.

"Hi, Nat. Is Piper home?"

Nat glared at her.

"Leave her alone. I told you not to hurt her, so now you just. Leave. Her. Alone." 

Nora looked at her in confusion.

"Nat? What happened?"

"As if you didn't know." 

She put her hands on the girl's shoulders.

"I don't. What's wrong?"

"Since she got home after your fight, or whatever, I've heard her crying at night, and she won't talk to me about it." Nat's chin started to wobble and she fought back tears.

Nora pulled her into a hug. "Hey, we haven't had a fight. She's probably just worried. I had to go do something dangerous, and she couldn't come with me." She pulled back. "I'm going to go talk to her, OK?"

Nat nodded, and Nora turned to enter Publick Occurrences. Piper was standing at the counter, with her back to the door, chopping vegetables. 

"Piper?"

Piper turned, saw Nora, dropped the knife and launched herself at her. 

"Oh, thank god!"

"Hey, what's wrong? Nat's been worried about you. She told me off for hurting your feelings."

Piper pulled back. "What's wrong? You vanished and then the whole machine exploded. I thought you were dead." She put her hands on Nora's face and looked her over carefully. "But you're OK?"

"It exploded?"

Piper kissed her, then hugged her again, resting her head against Nora's shoulder. She nodded.

"Tom kept saying you'd made it out before the explosion, but he didn't exactly sound certain. You didn't notice anything wrong?"

"No. Just a flash of blue and I was somewhere else."

Piper pulled back again.

"So it worked?" She took Blue by the hand and led her to the couch. Nora held back.

"Hold on, Pipes. Go talk to Nat first. She's really worried about you."

Piper nodded, but kept hold of Nora's hand, towing her behind her, as though she didn't want her to vanish again when her back was turned. After reassuring Nat, they went back inside and sat on the couch. Piper hesitated a moment before asking her first question.

"Did you find Shaun?" 

Blue looked away. "Yeah. I found him."

Piper squeezed her hand gently. "And?"

Blue took a shaky breath. "It hasn't been ten years since Kellogg took him. It's been sixty."

"Oh, Blue. I'm so sorry." 

She laughed bitterly. "It gets worse. He's the head of the Institute. He's the one we've been fighting all this time."

Piper put her arms around Blue and pulled her close. Blue leaned against her, her hands clenched in Piper's shirt as she continued talking.

"The boy I saw in Kellogg's memories is a synth… a clone, I guess, of Shaun when he was a boy. He used him as bait to draw me in. That's why he and Kellogg were staying here in Diamond City. And when I got there, he let me find the boy first, just to see what our reactions would be. He's cruel, Piper. Cruel and cold."

They sat together for a couple of hours, and Piper held her while Blue told her about the last three days. Eventually, Nora sat up and sighed. 

"I need to report in to Desdemona. Let them know I'm not dead too."

"What are you going to do about the synth they want you to help recapture?"

She sighed again. "I haven't decided. I mean, would I even be hesitating to take out a raider boss if I didn't know he was a synth?"

The door suddenly slammed open, making them both jump, and Cait burst in.

"The kid said ye were back." She stopped in the doorway, looking awkward. "Glad ye're not dead."

Nora grinned at her. "Me too."

\+ + +

Tom practically danced with glee when Blue walked into headquarters, Deacon clapped her on the shoulder enthusiastically, and Desdemona, though more restrained, also showed palpable relief at seeing her alive.

Desdemona listened quietly as Blue made her report, asked a few pertinent questions, and then asked her to write up a report on P.A.M.'s terminal, so the assaultron could analyze her findings and offer suggestions. As Blue turned to head into P.A.M.'s area, Desdemona stopped her.

"Did you find your son?" Her tone was much gentler than her usual commanding voice.

Blue hesitated, then nodded. Piper, standing next to her, felt her fingers twitch against the back of her hand, and she linked her fingers with Blue's in an offer of support. "He's the head of the Institute." 

Desdemona's eyes widened. "I thought you said he was a child?"

Blue nodded curtly. "That's what I thought."

Desdemona looked at her for a moment, as though expecting more, and when she didn't continue, she spoke, still in that gentle tone.

"I don't wish to be insensitive, but I have to ask, is this going to be a problem? A conflict of interest?"

Blue shook her head, decisively. "Whoever the head of the Institute is, I still don't approve of the way they treat the synths."

Desdemona nodded. "Very well."

After analyzing Blue's report, P.A.M. told her to try Cambridge Polymer Labs, as a possible location to find a CIT user password, since the facility had been established by three CIT graduate students.


	39. Polymer Research

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines take on Science

"Welcome to the Cambridge Polymer Labs. Employment opportunities await in the field of scientific research. Shall we begin your application now?"

Blue looked at Piper in confusion, then turned back to the Miss Nanny robot that had approached them as soon as they entered the research facility.

"I… uh… I was looking for Dr. Bergman?"

"Dr. Bergman is located in the research lab."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Only Cambridge Polymer Labs staff is allowed in the research lab. Would you like to begin your employment application now?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Let's begin the interview. Due to increased demands for staff in all fields, we have condensed the employment test accordingly. Question one. Do you possess experience with polymer synthesis?"

"Yes. Absolutely. Years of experience. Decades."

"Calculating test results. I am pleased to offer you the position of 'Researcher.' Expect a bright future in Polymer Research. Please follow me to the research lab so that you may begin your work."

They followed the robot through a staff kitchen and changing rooms.

"Follow me into the clean room. The research staff will greet you on the other side of the clean room. Welcome to the team."

The robot entered a command on a terminal, and the door to the clean room opened. Blue and Piper stepped through and the door closed behind them.

"I have been instructed to inform you that Director Elwood has issued mandatory overtime due to uncompleted milestones. Consequently, staff will not be allowed to leave the labs until the Piezonucleic Lining Project has been completed. Please report to the project lead, Dr. Elwood-Woolum for specific research assignment."

"What?" Piper immediately turned to the terminal next to the door, but found that the controls had been locked out. "I can't open it from here."

"We've got more problems." Blue held up her arm and Piper could hear the geiger counter on her pip boy chattering. Blue dug in her pack for a bottle of Rad-x and handed one to Piper before taking one herself. They looked around the clean room and found that the wall in the back had been breached. The geiger counter fell silent as they got further away. 

In the next room they found a terminal, and on it, the specifics of the project the robot had mentioned. 

"Looks like they were working on a new kind of lining for power armor. They weren't too far away from completing the prototype."

Piper came to read over Blue's shoulder. 

"So, all we have to do is find a piece of Uranium-238, some gold and some lithium hydride?" She rolled her eyes. "Piece of cake."

"Well, it's either that or live out the rest of our lives here. And I have to admit that when I've imagined our possible future, dying together in a research lab never figured into it."

Piper grinned and turned to look around the rest of the room. There was another terminal against the back wall. She walked over to it and turned it on.

"OK, looks like this is the terminal that controls the lining applicator. There's a command that lets you identify the reagents before running the main program."

Blue picked up a canister from next to Piper.

"Sample 11317," she read. She looked around and saw two braces to the left of the terminal that looked about the right size to hold the canister she'd found. She put it in the nearest one and turned back to Piper.

"OK, try running that command. See what happens."

"Um… it says it's Hydrochloric Acid." 

Blue removed it from the brace. "OK, so we're looking for more canisters like this one. I guess, if they're numbered instead of named, we'll just need to bring them all in here and run the command on them till we find the gold and the lithium whatever it was."

Piper nodded. Beyond the room they were in, they could see an atrium, with doors leading to other labs and offices and a staircase leading to a second story. As they stepped through the door, Piper noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Blue, ferals!"

"Just when we were thinking it was going to be easy." 

They drew their weapons and pulled back into the room, using the doorway as a bottleneck, that let them shoot at the ferals as they struggled against each other, Laurel and Hardy style. Once silence fell again, they shoved the bodies out of the doorway and went through into the atrium. They found three more canisters on the ground level, as well as a terminal labeled 'Isotope Containment Chamber Access,' but neither of them was able to hack the login, so they left it for the moment and headed back to the applicator terminal. One of the samples they had found was the lithium hydride, but they were still missing the gold, so they headed up the stairs.

There was a round window at the top of the stairs, and Blue went to look through it, pulling back almost immediately as her pip boy started to chatter again.

"That must be the isotope containment room. And, oh joy, there's a glowing one in there."

"We'll deal with it if we can figure out a way to get in there."

There were two doors on the second level. One was locked by a terminal, which, again, they were unable to hack. The second was open, so they headed in that direction. They found another canister in there, and Piper ran back downstairs to check it. 

"It's not gold," she reported when she got back upstairs. She found Blue examining a collapsed section of ceiling. 

"Maybe we can use this to get into the other lab."

Piper shrugged. 

"Worth a try."

They crept carefully through the ducts, avoiding broken sections, and eventually came upon another large hole. Blue lay flat and looked down into the lab.

"There's another feral."

She rose to her knees, took out her pistol and shifted around to the other side of the hole, where she could get a better angle on it, then took two shots. She nodded in satisfaction, holstered her weapon and lowered herself through the hole, reaching up to steady Piper as she followed.

They started looking around the lab, and quickly found another canister. Blue was examining a holotape she had found while Piper opened up the terminal. 

"Hey, this is Bergman's lab."

Blue came to look over her shoulder as she scrolled through all the messages on the terminal.

"There! That one." Piper nodded and wrote down the CIT password they had come to find in her notebook.

"Here, see what this is." She handed Piper the holotape she had found, and Piper slotted it into the terminal. "Ooh, it's the password for the containment chamber."

"Nice!"

They headed back downstairs. Piper took the canister to the applicator terminal and confirmed that it was, finally, the gold sample they needed, while Blue took the holotape to the access terminal and unlocked the containment chamber. They met back out in the atrium, weapons drawn as the glowing one, having noticed the open door, ventured out towards them. Between the two of them, they dispatched it quickly.

Blue took a few steps towards the containment room and noticed the geiger counter ticking upwards again. Piper stopped her.

"Hey, hold up. I think I saw a hazmat suit in one of these rooms." She disappeared for a few minutes and came back wearing it, carrying the helmet and her red trench coat. Blue grinned at her.

"That's a good look for you, Pipes. Super sexy. Really goes well with your press cap, too."

Piper stuck her tongue out at her, handed her the coat, and plopped the press cap on Blue's head before putting the helmet on. Blue double-checked that it was properly sealed, and Piper entered the chamber, coming out less than a minute later with the uranium sample. She took it to the applicator and put it in a smaller brace to the right of the terminal, then stepped back and let Blue help her out of the suit, taking back her cap and coat.

Blue went to the terminal and ran the main program. They saw a red light start flashing through a window behind the terminal, and could see a conveyor belt start moving. A short while later, a power armor chest piece was delivered through a hatch in the wall.

They went back into the clean room and informed the robot, who was still waiting on the other side, that they had completed the project. After letting them out, the robot insisted they report their success to the director of the facility and led the way to an office off the entryway. Blue watched the robot head up the stairs and turned to Piper.

"I mean, he's probably dead or feral, right?"

Piper nodded.

"Yeah, hard pass."

They turned and left the facility.


	40. Man of Steel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines make some new acquaintances.

Nora put a hand on Piper's arm to stop her and looked around.

"Do you hear that?"

Piper stopped to listen. 

"Gunfire."

"And ferals. Can't you hear them?"

Piper shook her head. 

"This way, I think." 

Nora was already drawing her weapon and heading northward along the ruined road. Piper was struck again by how this woman just couldn't help caring. For all she knew the ferals were attacking raiders or super mutants, but she just charged in to help.

The sounds of gunfire and the throaty screeches of the ferals got louder as they approached the old Cambridge Police Station, and they saw that someone had built a barricade around it. Coming in to the courtyard, they found a man in power armor fighting off a hoard of feral ghouls. Behind him, on the steps of the station were two others, one injured and the other tending him.

Nora and Piper stopped just within range, and standing shoulder to shoulder, started picking off the creatures. Finally, the last of them fell, and they approached the station cautiously.

The man in power armor turned towards them.

"We appreciate your assistance, but what's your business here?"

"We heard the ferals and your gunfire and came to see if we could help."

He raised an eyebrow, and he had truly impressive eyebrows, Piper thought, like furry caterpillars.

"Are you from a local settlement?"

Nora hesitated. "Sort of, I guess. I haven't really settled down since I left the vault."

"You're a vault dweller? Most people wouldn't admit that. I appreciate your honesty. If I appear suspicious, it's because our mission here has been difficult. Since the moment we arrived in the Commonwealth, we've been constantly under fire." He looked at her sharply for a moment before continuing. "If you want to continue pitching in, we could use an extra gun on our side."

"Before I decide that, who are you?"

He hesitated. "Very well. I'm Paladin Danse, Brotherhood of Steel. Over there is Knight Rhys," he indicated the injured man, "and Scribe Haylen," and the young woman tending his wounds.

"Brotherhood of Steel, like that airship that flew in a few weeks ago?"

"Correct. I've been trying to send a distress call to our vessel at Boston International Airport, but the signal's too weak to reach them. Scribe Haylen," he turned to the young woman, "you had started your report on the work you've been doing before we were interrupted by the ferals. Please continue."

"Yes, sir." She got to her feet and stood at attention. "I've modified the radio tower on the roof of the police station, but I'm afraid it just isn't enough. What we need is something that will boost the signal. I have intel on a Deep Range Transmitter that was being tested at ArcJet Systems, which is not far from our current location."

"Excellent work, Scribe." He turned back to Nora, ignoring Piper almost entirely. "So, what do you say? Are you willing to lend the Brotherhood of Steel a hand? We infiltrate the facility, secure the transmitter and bring it back here."

Nora shrugged. "I don't know about the Brotherhood as a whole – I know nothing about your organization – but I'm willing to help three individuals who need an extra hand."

He nodded. ""Our order seeks to understand the nature of technology, its power, its meaning to us as humans. And we fight to secure that power from those who would abuse it. Head into the police station and resupply yourself, then let me know when you're ready to begin. Haylen, take Rhys inside and tend his wounds."

The three of them headed into the station, and Nora turned to Piper.

"What do you know about the Brotherhood of Steel, Pipes?"

"Not a whole lot. They're known for hoarding pre-war technology – sometimes stealing it from people, sometimes scavenging from abandoned areas – that's what he meant by 'securing it from those who would abuse it'. Supposedly, they're keeping it out of evil hands, but the whole idea makes me uncomfortable. I haven't been able to find out why they've suddenly come to the Commonwealth."

Nora grimaced. "That's all very well if you can be sure everyone in your organization is good and noble, but it never works out that way. Still, we might need their help to take on the Institute, so we'd better stay on their good side. As hard as they try, I don't think the Railroad have the numbers to go up against what I saw down there." She sighed and looked towards the door of the station. "Do you want to come with us, or would you prefer to wait here?"

Piper rolled her eyes. "I'm coming with you, Blue."

Nora pulled her into a hug, and kissed the side of her head. "I don't like to just assume."

\+ + +

ArcJet Systems was about an hour and half's hike to the west of the police station. They had a minor incident with a pack of mongrel dogs on the way, but otherwise completed the trek undisturbed.

As they started working their way through the facility, Danse lectured them on the evils of science out of control perpetrated before the war by companies such as ArcJet. 

In one room they found the facility's protectron fleet lying destroyed. Danse examined the scene.

"I was hoping to avoid this. Look at the evidence. No spent shell casings, not a single drop of blood. These robots were assaulted by Institute synths."

Nora glanced at Piper, then asked casually, "Synth? Isn't that the same as robot?" She was glad she had mentioned the vault earlier, as it gave her a plausible reason to ask her questions. She wanted to learn more about the Brotherhood's ideals.

Danse grimaced. 

"They're an abuse of technology created by the Institute. Abominations meant to 'improve' upon humanity. It's unacceptable. They simply can't be allowed to exist."

"And the… Institute?"

"They're a group of scientists who went underground when the Great War started. They've spent the last few decades littering the Commonwealth with their technological nightmares."

"OK. I'll be on the lookout."

"Roger that. Let's keep moving."

Their path dead-ended in a room with a locked door and no keyhole. 

"See if you can find a way to open that door," Danse ordered. 

She raised an eyebrow in his direction, but made no comment and headed for the terminal she could see across from the door. Also locked. She let Piper have a turn at the terminal, while she started looking through the drawers of the desks and file cabinets in the room. As she did, she noticed another terminal in the corner. She turned it on and gave a bark of laughter.

"Well, that's convenient."

Piper and Danse looked at her. She grinned back at them.

"A reminder to staff to change their passwords once a month, and the command for doing so." She tapped a few keys on the keyboard and then joined Piper at the other terminal, entering the password she had just set up.

She saw the synths as soon as the door started to open, and dropped to her knees using the desk as cover, pulling Piper down with her. They drew their weapons and, between the three of them, they destroyed the synths in the next room.

Nora paused in front of one of the bodies, then turned to Danse. 

"I have to say, these don't particularly look like abominations, or improvements on humanity, no more than the protectrons out front."

He grunted, and poked one of the bodies with the toe of his armored foot.

"These are older models. They are, as you say, little more than fancy protectrons. The newest models are the abominations, indistinguishable from humans."

"Ah. I see."

They continued heading down through the facility, until they reached the test firing chamber. 

"The Deep Range Transmitter should be in the control room at the top, but it looks like we'll need to turn the power back on."

Nora nodded and they headed to the bottom of the shaft. Nora and Piper entered the maintenance room and found the terminal that controlled the backup power. They turned it on, and as they headed back towards the shaft, they saw through the window, Danse surrounded by more than a dozen synths. They ran to help him, but he called out before they exited the maintenance tunnel. 

"Fire the engine!"

"Are you nuts? It'll fry you!"

"Do it. My power armor will protect me."

Nora slammed her hand against the door control and it closed immediately, trapping the arm of a synth that had nearly reached them. They dashed back through the corridor, and closed the next door as well. Nora hesitated in front of the window. Though Danse had killed quite a few synths, there didn't seem to be any fewer surrounding him. She leaned down and pushed the button. An automated voice started counting down.

She took Piper's arm and led her away from the window to the back of the room. They turned away from the window to shield their eyes, as the test engine reached full burn. They ran back to the window once it was over, feeling the heat even through the thick material. 

The synths were reduced to ash, and Danse, though down on one knee, appeared to still be alive. Once the area had cooled enough, they made their way back to the shaft. The room was silent except for the 'tink tink' of cooling metal coming from Danse's power armor. 

"Are you all right?"

He was panting. "Got… cooked by those flames, but… thanks to my power armor, I'm still in one piece." He winced as he stood up. "We still need to make it to the control room."

Nora poked the elevator call button with the butt of her pistol. 

"Wonder what this is made of, that it didn't melt?"

They crowded into the elevator and rode it up towards the top of the shaft. There were a few more synths in the control room, but only a small handful, and they were able to deal with them easily. They found the Deep Range Transmitter in a pack carried by one of the synths. Nora handed it to Danse.

They made their way back to the surface and out of the building.

"Well, that could have gone smoother, but mission accomplished. Now, first things first." He handed her a laser pistol. "I'd like to compensate you for your assistance. This is my own personal modification of the standard Brotherhrood laser rifle. May it serve you well in battle."

Nora held up a hand. "You don't need to do that."

"I insist. The Brotherhood believes in paying all its debts." He pushed it towards her again.

"But won't you need it?"

"I always carry a backup. Now, for a second matter. I wanted to make you a proposal. We had a lot thrown at us back there. Our op could have ended in disaster, but you kept your cool and handled yourself like a soldier. There's no doubt in my mind that you've got what it takes. The way I see it, you've got a choice. You could spend the rest of your life wandering from place to place, trading an extra hand for a meager reward. Or, you could join the Brotherhood of Steel and make your mark on the world. What do you say?"

Nora gaped at him for a moment. This was not what she had expected. 

"I… have a lot on my plate at the moment. I don't think… I'd be able to give it my all."

Danse nodded. 

"Very well. If you should change your mind, you know where to find us."

He headed back in the direction of the police station and Nora looked at Piper. 

"Well, that was interesting."

She opened the map on her pip boy. 

"We're pretty close to Greygarden. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty beat. Shall we just stop off there?"

Piper nodded and they started towards the robot settlement.

\+ + +

Piper came into the common room after taking advantage of the shower and found Nora sitting on the couch, bare feet pulled up in front of her and her arms wrapped around her knees. She had a faraway expression on her face. Piper sat next to her.

"Something wrong, Blue?"

Nora rested her cheek on her knees so she could look at Piper. 

"I feel... lost."

"What do you mean, lost?"

"Ever since I left the vault I've had one goal. Find Shaun. Well, now I've found him, and he doesn't need me, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore."

Her eyes filled with tears, and she brushed them off on her arm. Piper put her arms around her.

"I... don't know. But whatever you decide you want to do, Blue, I'll be right here with you."


	41. Libertalia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine retrieves a rogue synth.

"Hey, kiddo! Everything all right while we were gone?"

Piper ruffled her little sister's hair as soon as she was close enough. Nat reluctantly pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket and handed it to her.

"What's this?"

"Mr Zwicky said I had to give it to you."

Piper unfolded the paper and read it. 

"You have detention? For fighting? What happened?"

"Sheng Kawolski tried to kiss me, so I knocked him on his ass."

Nora choked back a laugh, and Piper had to bite her lip to stop herself from smiling.

"Oh, Natalie. Never change." She hugged her little sister and kissed the top of her head. "And you're super grounded. Now go finish your homework."

Nat gave a long-suffering sigh and stomped into Publick Occurrences. Piper watched her go with a rueful look.

"Mr Zwicky wants to meet with me to discuss Nat's behavior. And, if she's going to be grounded, I really should be here to enforce it. I'm sorry, Blue."

Nora smiled fondly at her. "Don't apologize for looking after your family, Pipes. I'll take Cait with me to watch my back. She's probably going stir-crazy."

\+ + +

Nora looked out across the old Nahant Wharf from the cover of the ruined police station. Libertalia was an astonishing collection of partially destroyed boats and ships connected by rickety wooden bridges. At the center of the odd raider settlement was a capsized supertanker, with multiple levels of wooden and metal structures barnacled to its sides all the way up to the prow.

The courser Shaun had said would meet them had been fighting with a platoon of Brotherhood of Steel soldiers sent to clear the area of raiders. Nora and Cait had had to physically restrain X6-88 and pull him into cover before Nora could convince him to leave them alone. They were doing a great deal of their work for them, making the path to Gabriel, the synth they had been sent to recover, a lot easier to cross.

X6 informed her that Gabriel, or B5-92, as he referred to him, was on the top level of the supertanker at the center of the settlement.

Nora pulled out her rifle scope and spent a few minutes examining the area.

"There's a little gondola leading up to the main structure. Look, over there." She pointed and held the scope out to the other two. X6 took it, looked through it and nodded.

"That appears to be the only way to reach that section, ma'am." 

Nora glanced at Cait. "Thoughts? Ideas?"

Cait gulped before answering. 

"Never learned to swim."

Nora nodded. "We'll find you a life vest or something like it before we head over, or if you'd rather, you can give us cover fire from over here."

Cait looked relieved. "I think I'd rather stay on dry land."

Nora took the hunting rifle off her back and held it out to the other woman. 

"Here, this should work better over the long distance than your shotgun."

They waited a few more minutes for the Brotherhood of Steel soldiers to work their way across to the other end of the settlement, then Nora and X6 started across the bridges towards the gondola, leaving Cait perched in an improvised sniper's nest with a good view of their path.

They made it to the gondola without incident, and crouching down in the basket, pushed the button to start it moving. Almost immediately, they heard voices from across the water, the sound of gunshots, and then answering fire from Cait's position. Nora chanced a peek around the opening of the basket, just in time to see a raider falling off the side of the capsized ship, into the water below.

With Cait distracting some of the raiders, they were able to take out several more before the gondola reached the ship. The structure along the side of the ship was a vertical labyrinth, and they had to retrace their steps from dead ends more than once. Eventually, they reached what had once been the captain's cabin, and in it, found a ladder leading to the top-most section.

"Ma'am, a moment. I have something I need to tell you."

Nora stopped and turned back to look at the courser.

"What is it?"

"I'm going to give you B5-92's reset code. If he hears the code phrase, it'll reset his cognitive processes and make him docile. You need to say 'B5-92, initialize factory reset,' followed by the authorization code 'gamma-7-1-epsilon.' Once he's shut down, I can transport him safely back to the Institute."

"What do you mean by 'reset his cognitive processes'?"

"Put more simply, the recall code will render him unconscious even while he's still standing."

She grimaced and sighed. The whole job was distasteful, but Desdemona still needed her to maintain her cover for the Railroad, so she nodded.

"Very well."

"Ready when you are, ma'am."

She walked up to the ladder and pushed open the hatch at the top. As they came back out into the daylight, she saw three men. The one in the center, a long-haired man with facial tattoos, started talking as soon as he saw them.

"Well done. Very impressive. Just like me, you've made it to the top."

Nora took a step forward.

"B5-92. Initialize factory reset. Authorization gamma-7-1-epsilon."

The result of her words was the same one she had seen in the child synth when Shaun had spoken his recall code. His head drooped down to his chest, eyes closed. The two raiders stared at him open mouthed, and she and X6 took advantage of their confusion. They fell before they even noticed the two attackers had drawn their weapons.

"Nice work, ma'am." He moved to stand next to the unconscious synth. "This is X6-88, ready to relay with reclaimed synth B5-92."

They disappeared in a flash of blue.

"Well, that's great." Nora was relieving her feelings by muttering to herself. "Not that I wanted to go back to the Institute, but he could have asked." She spent a bit of time looking the area over for any useful salvage, and then started back towards where she had left Cait.

\+ + +

When she got back to Cait, she found her collapsed in her little sniper's nest, shivering and pale. There was a smudge of blood on her lips, and a smear of it on the back of her hand.

"Cait! Cait, wake up."

She shook her gently by the shoulder. The younger woman opened her eyes and sat up slowly. 

"Cait, are you injured?"

She shook her head.

"No, but I need yer help."

Nora knelt next to her and held a can of purified water out to her. She took it in a trembling hand and took a sip.

"Anything, Cait. You know that."

"Thanks. I just… I'm scared. This is hard for me. I'm not used to trustin' people. I'm scared that ye'll hear the truth and that I'll lose you as a friend."

Nora touched her arm and waited till Cait looked at her before answering.

"Hey, you'll never lose me as a friend. No matter what."

"Damn it, stop bein' so nice to me." She took a deep breath. "Ever since I left the Combat Zone, I've been takin' psycho. Hell, I was takin' it long before I left. I dunno why I still am. I don't want to, and I've tried to stop, but I can't. I've been sneakin' it behind your back, takin' some when I thought ye wouldn't notice. An' now it's makin' me sick. I've been spittin' up blood, and I don't feel right inside. I need to get this shite out of me system before it kills me."

"I'll do anything I can to help. Do you have a plan? Can your addiction be cured?"

She shook her head. 

"I'm too far gone for a wasteland doctor to be able to help me." She hesitated. "There's only one other way I know, but it's not goin' to be easy. There's supposed to be a vault out there, vault 95, where they did some kinda social experiment… stuck a bunch of junkies inside to see what would happen. Well, they supposedly had some special method to clean them up, some kind of machine or somethin'. If we could get there, maybe that machine could cure me."

Nora nodded decisively.

"I'll get you there."


	42. Benign Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine helps a friend.

"Good to see you, boss. Anything new or interesting for me?"

Nora smiled at the young mercenary.

"As a matter of fact, I could use some back up. I have a sick friend that I need to get to Vault 95, and I could use someone to watch our backs. You up for it?"

MacCready frowned slightly.

"Vault 95? Yeah, you're gonna need back up. That's a gunner base. When do we leave?"

"First thing in the morning work for you?"

He nodded. "Meet you out at the gates."

\+ + +

It had taken them most of the day to get within striking distance of the vault, and they were now observing it through their scopes. Nora passed hers along to Cait after taking a look, while MacCready continued scanning the area through the scope on his sniper rifle.

"I saw two assaultrons, and at least three gunners. Does that tally with what you're seeing?"

MacCready and Cait nodded. 

"OK, I've had some bad experiences with assaultrons, so I suggest we concentrate on them first, get them out of the way, and then we can take care of the gunners. MacCready, you take the one on the left, I'll take the one on the right. Cait, the gunners are going to start attacking as soon as we start shooting, so give us some cover fire while we take out the robots. Good?"

They both nodded, and all three of them prepared their weapons. On Nora's command, she and MacCready both attacked their respective assaultron. It took several shots, but they were able to take them out before the robots reached their position, and before they could charge their deadly lasers.

They could hear Cait's shotgun from where she had taken cover behind a tree, and could hear the gunners calling out to each other as they came towards their position. Nora switched to her pistol and started moving closer to the entrance, darting from cover to cover, shooting when she got the chance, and hearing MacCready's sniper rifle behind her.

Inside the vault they found a pretty large troop of gunners, spread out through the various rooms, as well as a few more robots. The gunfight was fierce, but the three of them held their own, and worked their way through the facility, leaving gunner corpses in their wake.

In the center of the facility, they found the machine Cait had talked about. Nora opened the terminal that controlled it, and read through the instructions.

"It says it takes several hours. MacCready, would you go set us up a camp? Maybe do a bit of scavenging for extra food and ammo?"

The young merc nodded and headed out of the room. Nora turned back to Cait.

"I don't understand all of this, but there are some user logs, and they describe the process as being," she paused, "very painful."

Cait rubbed her hands nervously on her thighs.

"I… I have to, though. Don't I? Now it comes to it, though, I'm scared."

"I'll be here the whole time, Cait."

She shook her head. 

"That's not it. There were reasons I dulled the pain. Things I don't want to face. Things I'm tryin' to forget. I'd rather be spittin' up blood than relivin' the past."

"You won't have to face it alone, Cait. And I don't want to lose a friend."

Cait looked at her for a moment, then swallowed and nodded.

"OK." She took a deep breath and walked up to the machine. Nora helped her get settled in and strapped her down, aligning the various components according to the diagrams on the terminal.

"Ready?" 

Cait had her eyes tightly shut, but she nodded. Nora went back to the terminal and entered the command to start the process. 

Cait's screams would haunt Nora's dreams for weeks to come. She stayed by the younger woman's side throughout the whole, long process. Early on, MacCready brought her a chair from another room, and a couple of times he brought her food. 

Long hours later, the components surrounding Cait retracted, and the terminal beeped, indicating the process had finished. Nora unstrapped Cait and helped her sit up.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired." She stopped for a second, as though assessing. "The stabbin' pain I've had for so long… it's sort of dull now. And everythin' feels clearer." She stood carefully. "This is the best I've felt in ages, tired and all."

Nora pulled her into a hug. Cait tensed at the touch, then relaxed.

"I'm glad you're OK. I've been worried."

They went to find MacCready and spent the night at the little camp he had set up. Nora made sure Cait had a good meal – she had missed at least two during the procedure, and then they slept till morning.


	43. Domestic Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which nothing much happens.

Piper lay enjoying the early morning quiet. Nora was still asleep, curled up next to her, one arm across Piper's chest, one leg draped across her own, chin touching Piper's shoulder, and her face, though not touching Piper's, close enough that she could feel her warmth against her cheek. If she turned her face, their noses would touch.

Waking up in the same bed was still a relatively rare occurrence in their relationship. They were still feeling their way around each other, and neither seemed to want to push too fast or too far, and she was positively basking in the closeness. Despite Nora's words, she still wasn't quite sure why Nora had chosen _her_ , whose brashness and pushiness had driven everyone else away. Still, she wasn't complaining. Outside of family, Nora was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and if life in the wasteland taught you anything, it was to take joy where you found it. And Nora definitely brought her joy.

She felt the change in Nora's breathing, the slight shift that indicated she had woken up.

"Morning, sunshine."

Nora mumbled something unintelligible and burrowed even closer against her, resting her forehead against the side of Piper's head. Piper grinned. Once she got going, Nora moved quickly from sleep to full wakefulness, but Piper found those first few half-asleep, grumbly minutes endearing and adorable. She freed the arm between them and slipped it around Nora's shoulders, while the fingers of the other hand traced up and down the arm still draped across her chest.

"'Time is it?"

"Early. Probably about six-thirty."

Nora took a deep breath that just missed becoming a yawn, pressed a kiss to Piper's cheek and rolled onto her back, rubbing her eyes, and then stretching luxuriously. Piper rolled onto her side and rested her head on her hand, watching her with a smile. 

"You look like a cat when you do that."

Nora grinned.

"I've been called worse things."

She mirrored Piper's position and rested a hand on her waist, tracing her fingers lightly down Piper's side. Piper squirmed and squeaked, grabbing Nora's hand. Nora's eyes widened, and she grinned delightedly.

"You're ticklish! Oh, the possibilities."

She chuckled at the expression on Piper's face, and moved her hand to the small of Piper's back, pulling her closer and kissing her.

Piper eventually pulled away when she heard Nat moving around downstairs. 

"I'd better go make sure she has something other than snack cakes for breakfast."

Nora snickered. "Pot, kettle."

Piper wrinkled her nose at her. "Hey, at least I don't have them for breakfast. Often."

She leaned in for one last kiss before pushing herself up to sit on the edge of the bed. She started getting dressed, and blushed when she noticed that Nora hadn't moved, and was watching her appreciatively.

"Enjoying the view?"

Nora grinned. "Very much. I have a keen appreciation of beauty."

Piper rolled her eyes, but felt a flush creep up her cheeks, and couldn't keep a smile from tugging the corners of her mouth.

"You're incorrigible."

She sat on the edge of the bed again to pull on her socks and boots, and Nora sat up and leaned against her.

"Completely."

It was several more minutes before she made it downstairs to make breakfast for her little sister. Nora followed her down a few minutes later. Nat eyed her sidelong as she came down the stairs, then glanced at Piper, who was busying herself at the stove.

"Morning, Nat."

"Morning."

"Can I help?"

Nat had been reaching into a drawer for knives and forks to lay the table. She shrugged, then nodded towards the shelf where they kept plates and glasses. Nora helped her finish laying the table and poured her a glass of brahmin milk while Piper finished cooking a panful of scrambled eggs.

Nora froze as she put the first mouthful of eggs in her mouth, trying to keep a straight face. She was not entirely successful. Piper looked at her questioningly.

"Something wrong?"

She chewed slowly and swallowed carefully.

"Uh… what kind of eggs are these?"

Nat rolled her eyes.

"Scrambled. Duh!"

Nora nodded, poking at her plate.

"Yes. But what kind of animal laid these eggs?"

Piper and Nat glanced at each other.

"They're mirelurk eggs."

"Aha. Yes."

Nora nodded and slowly took another mouthful, unable to avoid a slight grimace.

"S'good."

Nat started giggling. Piper watched her bemusedly.

"What's wrong with them?"

"I've just never had mirelurk eggs before. It's… an interesting taste."

"What kind of eggs did you used to eat?" Nat asked.

"Chicken eggs, usually."

"What's a chicken?"

Nora glanced at Piper. "No chickens?" Piper shrugged and shook her head, and Nora turned back to Nat.

"Chickens were a kind of bird. About yay big." She held up her hands to demonstrate the size. "They were domesticated, like brahmin, but most people in my time just bought eggs at the store, instead of keeping chickens themselves."

The girl wrinkled her nose. "You ate bird eggs?"

Nora grinned at her. "That's kinda how I feel about eating crab eggs."

"What's a crab?"

"It's what mirelurks started out as."

"OK, you two, that's enough biology for one morning. Nat, finish your breakfast. You're going to be late for school. And you," she looked at Nora, "you don't have to eat them if you don't like them."

Nora shook her head and took another mouthful.

"No, no. I'm getting used to it now." She swallowed and shuddered, sending Nat into another fit of giggles. Piper rolled her eyes and grinned.

As Nat headed out to school, Piper stood and went back to the little stove, where she had left the coffee pot brewing. She poured them each a cup and sat back down next to Nora. Nora grabbed Nat's unfinished glass of milk and dumped the remnants into her cup.

"No chickens, but at least there's still coffee."

Piper put her free hand on Nora's.

"I don't know anyone outside the Children of Atom who's spent as much time in the Glowing Sea as you have." She hesitated. "You'll be careful, won't you?"

Nora squeezed her hand.

"I'll be careful, I promise. And hopefully this'll be the last time I have to go there. Once I give Virgil his serum, I'll have fulfilled my part of the bargain."

"What's he going to do if the serum works? He won't find it as comfortable in the Glowing Sea as a human, to put it mildly."

"I'm taking him a hazmat suit that I found, and some armor. He'll be able to leave if he wants to."

Nora finished her coffee and stood reluctantly. Piper walked with her to the entrance of Home Plate, where she had her power armor stored. She hugged her tightly.

"Be safe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a roommate who was like this with her fiancé, stupidly, sickeningly cute.


	44. The Lost Patrol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines find some missing people.

"Hey, Pipes, look at this."

Piper had been looking through a ruined chest in a corner of the recruitment office of the National Guard Training Yard. They'd been asked to come clear out the feral ghouls that had overrun the place by Deb, one of the permanent traders at Bunker Hill, as the ferals had started interfering with passing caravans. There had only been a couple of ghouls in the recruitment office, and they'd been poking around before heading further into the facility.

Piper followed the sound of Nora's voice into a corner office, and found her kneeling beside what looked like human remains.

"That looks like a Brotherhood of Steel uniform."

Nora nodded as she unclipped a set of dog tags from around the soldier's neck.

"Knight Astlin, according to these."

Piper looked around the room.

"Did you kill all these ferals?"

"Uh-uh, they were like that when I got here." Nora had started going through the young soldier's pockets.

"Wow. She took out a bunch of them before they got her."

Nora stood with a holotape in her hand and slotted into her pip boy.

"Knight Tara Astlin. Brotherhood of Steel Recon Team 429-Alpha. Serial number 3431. It's been three hours since I set my distress pulser. There's been no word from the Paladin or Faris. Their objective was a satellite array on the coast. They may be out of range. My orders were to hold this position at all costs. The entire site has been overrun. The door won't last much longer. Paladin Brandis, sir. It's been an honor, sir."

Nora popped the holotape out of her pip boy and tucked it into one of her pockets. 

"I guess she was a member of one of those lost recon teams Danse said came out here before his team."

She turned to examine the distress pulser near the body, and again raised her pip boy and started clicking through the screens. Piper stepped closer and saw that she was flipping through the radio dial trying to find the pulser's frequency. When she found it, she turned off the pulser, then stood and started turning in place. 

"I'm getting at least two more signals on the same frequency."

"Other members of the team? Faris and Brandis?"

Nora nodded. 

"Probably. Possibly others. Danse said his own team was one man short, so at a guess, they'll also have started with at least four."

"She said they were headed to a satellite array. The Revere Satellite array isn't too far away, but it's super mutant territory."

Nora grimaced, then sighed.

"Would you mind if we tried to find the rest of them? I know you don't think much of the Brotherhood, and I'm no fan of the military myself, but their families deserve to know what happened. There's nothing worse than not knowing."

Nora's eyes clouded over as she finished. Piper cupped Nora's face to make sure she was looking at her.

"Of course we're going to go find them." She kissed her gently, then smiled. "But maybe first we should finish clearing out the rest of this facility."

\+ + +

Once they finished and got back outside, they made their way up some scaffolding onto the roof of the building and Nora turned the radio on her pip boy back on. She turned in a slow circle.

"The stronger signal is in that direction." She pointed east, then looked up where she was pointing. "That's obviously the satellite array, we can see dishes from here."

"And the other signal?"

Nora started turning again.

"That way." This time she was pointing northwest. "Which should we try first?"

"Well, we already know what's waiting for us at the satellite array, so shall we try the other way first?"

"Sounds good to me."

\+ + +

The signal led them to a ruined house across from Med-Tek Research. The center of the house was a blast crater, and embedded in it were the remains of several suits of power armor.

"What the hell happened here?"

"Blue, over here."

Piper had found the remains of another Brotherhood soldier behind a desk. Nora knelt next to her and reached for the holotags.

"Knight Varham. Anything you can tell us about what happened, Varham?"

She started looking through the pockets of his uniform, while Piper reached over to turn off the distress pulser next to him. Nora found another holotape and slotted it into her pip boy. 

Unlike the previous one, this appeared to be a battlefield recording. The team had been ambushed on the road and were outnumbered five to one. Their power armor cores were nearly out of power, and the leader, Brandis, made the decision to scuttle them so they wouldn't fall into enemy hands. That explained the fused power armor frames in the blast crater. The surviving members of the team had headed for the National Guard Training Yard, where they had already found Astlin. 

Nora pocketed the holotape and holotags and turned to Piper. 

"I think we should get some extra backup before we take on those super mutants. If we head back now, we should have time before dark to report back to Deb, and then get back to Diamond City. Cait and MacCready were both there when we left. We'll see if either of them wants to come with us."

"Good idea. The more guns the better when it comes to super mutants."

\+ + +

Both Cait and MacCready were eager to join in on a mutant hunting expedition, so the four of them headed out first thing the next morning.

They set themselves up a short distance away from the array, and with Nora and MacCready sniping the monsters, and Cait and Piper providing cover fire, they slowly but steadily cleared the place out.

They found Scribe Faris' remains in a wooden shack halfway up one of the satellites. Nora found another holotape in one of his pockets.

"It's been… two hours since the Paladin left. My leg… I can't stanch the bleeding. Bullet must've hit an artery. Brandis… if you get this… I hope you make it back to Astlin in time. There was nothing you could do for me. Get to the bunker up north. You'll survive. That's all that… all that matters."

Nora quietly took the holotags from around his neck and put them and the holotape in her pocket with the others. She knelt for a while next to the body.

"He sounded so young."

Piper took her hand as she stood and gave it a squeeze. They started back down the walkway hand in hand. They were nearly to the ground when they heard Cait and MacCready calling to them from the other side of the array. Cait met them at the bottom of one of the satellites.

"There's a power armor frame up there."

'Up there' turned out to be in the dish of the satellite. Someone had built a rickety staircase from the top of the walkway up to the dish, and the frame had been abandoned up there. It appeared to be in good shape, so Nora powered it up with a fusion core she had in her pack and asked Cait and MacCready to take it back to Diamond City for her.

"Where are you goin'?" Cait asked.

"Cambridge police station."

Piper looked at Nora in surprise.

"We are?"

Nora shrugged. "'Bunker up north' is awfully vague. We've hit a dead end, Pipes. We should get the information we have to Danse, so they can pass it along to the family members. And he may have some ideas of where Brandis may have gone."


	45. In the Army Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine enlists.

"What did Desdemona say when you took her the password they wanted?"

They had stopped at the County Crossing settlement, to check in with the settlers and have a bite to eat and a rest in a safe location. Nora muttered something Piper couldn't make out, without meeting her gaze.

"I didn't quite understand that."

Nora bit her lip before answering, still not looking at Piper.

"I haven't taken it to her."

Piper blinked in surprise. 

"Why not?"

Nora frowned down at her food and sighed.

"Because if I give it to her she's going to want me to go back to the Institute, and I'll have to face Shaun again and what they turned him into. And I don't know if I can keep up the deception, Pipes. It hurts to look at him, and see Nate, and then hear the words that come out of his mouth."

Piper put her arms around Nora and held her close.

"Oh god, Blue. I'm sorry."

Nora leaned against her for a few minutes, then sighed and shook her head. 

"I knew I'd have to do it eventually. But every time something else came up it was just easier to put it off a bit longer."

"Do you want to stop off at HQ before we go to the police station?"

Nora gave a little self-deprecating laugh.

"I think we both know I don't _want_ to, but yeah, we probably should."

\+ + +

"I have the Code Defender password for Patriot."

The older woman smiled.

"Excellent work. On our side, we've gone through your report. It was… extraordinary. So many pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. Our final analysis indicates that the Institute is far more formidable than we ever feared or imagined."

Nora nodded. She had come to the same conclusion.

"If we stage a mass breakout, Patriot's thirteen synths will undoubtedly be the last we ever save. Instead, we use this one chance, to rescue all the synths. Every last one of them."

Piper's eyes widened, and she heard Nora's breath catch.

"That's… a bold plan."

"We can't waste this opportunity. The Institute will never let their slaves go without a fight."

"Is this even possible?"

"Hopefully Patriot's plan will scale up." Desdemona sighed. "I know there are a lot of holes in the plan right now. I'm not suggesting we do this immediately. It will take a great deal of planning. The heart of our problem is manpower. Even if we call in all our agents, and we will, we won't be able to hold our own against the Institute for long. Talk with Z1-14. If the synths down there want freedom, they must fight and risk their own lives to earn it."

Nora nodded.

"Z1 seems capable of that. But what about Patriot? Liam isn't much more than a kid, and I get the sense he was mostly doing this for the thrill of subverting authority. I don't know how eager he'd be to help if he knew there might be killing."

"Our analysis agrees with your conclusion. I don't think Patriot will have the stomach for it. So get what you need from him, then cut him loose."

Nora nodded again.

"One other thing. I have a report that says you've made contact with a branch of the Brotherhood of Steel. Is this true?"

"Yes, we came across a small team that was being attacked by feral ghouls. Why?"

"We need more information about them. It would be helpful to us if you could continue working with them, learn more about their tactics and their goals."

Nora glanced at Piper before answering Desdemona.

"They, uh… they offered to recruit me."

Desdemona nodded in satisfaction.

"I can't force you to join, but it would be very helpful to us to have someone on the inside."

Nora nodded uneasily.

"We were heading back there after this. I'll… talk to them."

"Good luck, Eighty-six."

\+ + +

"We found the remains of several Brotherhood soldiers. I thought it might be one of the recon teams you said came here before yours."

Nora held out the holotags she had recovered to Paladin Danse. He took them and examined the names.

"Damn it. Yes. Knight Astlin was on Paladin Brandis' team. I knew her. We served together some years ago. What of the paladin?"

Nora shook her head. 

"We hit a dead end. We found these holotapes with the bodies, and one of them mentions that he was headed for a bunker up north, but there was no distress pulser signal to follow as there had been with the others."

"Talk to Scribe Haylen. If you tell her where you found the team members, she can give you a run down of the possible locations." Nora nodded and started to turn away. "And by the way," she turned back to him, "my offer still stands. I think you'd be an asset to the Brotherhood."

Nora glanced at Piper, then nodded.

"Yeah, OK. I'd be… honored."

"Outstanding. Rhys, Haylen." He waited till the other two joined them. "It's time to welcome our newest recruit to the Brotherhood. She shows a lot of promise, and with the proper guidance, I think she has the potential to become one of the best." 

Rhys sneered at her.

"So you decided to stay, huh? I expected you to take your payment and run."

Nora raised an eyebrow at him, but Danse stepped in before she could respond.

"Rhys, that's enough. Like it or not, you're going to have to learn to work together. And you, you need to learn what it means to be part of the Brotherhood. We're not soldiers of fortune. We're an army. If you intend to stay within our ranks, you need to obey our tenets without question."

Nora held up a hand.

"With respect, Paladin, I served two years in the military, and my husband was a career soldier. I know how this goes."

Danse seemed at a loss for words for a moment, then he nodded, though there was something in his glance that made Nora think he would be asking her more about this later on.

"There's one last order of business I wanted to get out of the way. I'm going to recommend you be awarded the rank of Knight. Now, nothing's official until you speak to Elder Maxson, but I wanted you to be the first to know."

"Thank you, Paladin."

The young scribe smiled at her. 

"Ad Victoriam, Knight."

Rhys rolled his eyes and sighed. 

"She doesn't even know what that means, Haylen."

"It means To Victory."

Piper had to suppress a laugh at the look on Rhys' face. Nora smiled at Haylen and Danse and shrugged.

"You'd be amazed at how much Latin you pick up in three years of law school."

Danse looked at her blankly for a few moments.

"We'll talk more later. For now, work with Haylen on those bunker locations. Haylen and Rhys may also need your help on other missions. And when you're ready, we'll need to make our way to the Prydwen. There is a vertibird on standby on the roof, but there's no rush. If you'd like you can finish your current assignment first."

Nora nodded.

"Yes, I think I'd prefer that."

"Very well, Knight. Proceed."

Danse and Rhys moved to the next room, leaving Haylen with Nora and Piper.

"What bunkers did the paladin mean?"

Nora explained about finding the remains of the previous recon team, and about the missing team leader. She pulled up the map on her pip boy and pointed out where they had found the three bodies. Haylen left the room for a few moments and returned with a large map of the Commonwealth, which she unrolled onto a table. She carefully copied over the locations Nora had pointed out.

"You said the holotape said Brandis was going to a bunker north of their location?"

Nora nodded. 

"We found that particular holotape here." She pointed to the satellite array on the map.

"We know of two possible bunkers north of that location – Listening Post Bravo, and Recon Bunker Theta." She pointed to each of them on her map. Nora marked the locations in her pip boy and thanked Haylen for her help.

"Good luck, Knight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be perfectly honest, the only reason I wanted my Sole to join the Brotherhood in this story was so I could finally tell Rhys that, yes, I do know what Ad Victoriam means, thank you very much.


	46. The Lost Sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines rescue a lost soul.

Listening Post Bravo was the closer of the two bunkers Haylen had marked for them. They found the defenses active, but after destroying them and entering the bunker, they found that the team's call sign, which one of the holotapes had mentioned would be used as their password, didn't work on the terminal that controlled the elevator to the lower level.

They continued on their way, and not long after came to a small farm, with a greenhouse full of crops. An older man, who appeared frantic with worry hurried up to them.

"Did the Minutemen send you?"

"They didn't send me, but I am with the Minutemen. Has something happened?"

"Raiders. They kidnapped my wife, Laura. They said that if I don't pay them they'll kill her, but I don't have that kind of money!"

"OK, don't worry. We'll do everything we can to get your wife back and take care of those raiders. Do you know where they are?"

He visibly tried to rein in his emotions and nodded. 

"Do you have a map? I can mark the location for you."

Nora opened the map on her pip boy and marked the location he indicated.

"Did they give you a deadline?"

"Th-they said I had five days. They took her yesterday."

Nora put a hand on his arm. 

"We'll get her back."

"Thank you!"

Once they were out of sight of the house, Nora stopped to examine her map again. 

"Revere Beach Station. The Railroad has a dead drop near there. Those raiders are well-equipped. I think we should stop for reinforcements at the Slog and County Crossing."

Piper nodded and they started towards the Slog. Wiseman, the leader of the little ghoul community came up and shook their hands when he saw them approach. They exchanged greetings for a few minutes, before Nora explained what they needed. 

"No problem. We'd be glad to help."

He walked over to a bell that had been attached to the side of the main building and rang it twice. The settlers started moving towards the bell immediately, but without panic.

"Two rings means everybody gather, but it's not an emergency – that means people on watch don't come in. Continuous ringing means an attack is imminent and everyone goes directly to their assigned posts," Wiseman explained. "We have some other signals too, but those are the two most common ones."

Nora looked impressed.

"That's a really good idea. I think I'll suggest adding one to every settlement."

As soon as everyone was gathered, Wiseman spoke up.

"The Minutemen are calling for help. A woman has been kidnapped by raiders, and they need help to get her back home, and get rid of the raiders. Volunteers?"

About a dozen people raised their hands, and Wiseman pointed to several of them, sending them off to equip themselves from the weapons and armor the settlement had recovered from the bodies of raider and gunner attackers. They set off for County Crossing within half an hour and repeated the process there, minus the bell to call everyone together.

By the time they set off for Revere Beach Station, they were about a dozen strong. As they approached the beach, Nora broke them into three groups so they could flank the raiders and attack from three directions. They had the element of surprise and were able to take out about half of the raiders outside the station before they could even draw their weapons.

By the time all the raiders were dead, they had two wounded, but no dead on their side. They took a few minutes to patch up the wounded, and Nora ordered the two of them, and two others, to stand watch outside the station while the rest of them went in.

Inside the station, they found that the raiders had made their den at the blocked end of the train tunnel. They had left two raiders on guard near the entrance, but they were drunk and easily dispatched. Two more were standing guard at the entrance to the train car that led to their den, but Nora's hunting rifle was able to dispatch them without even getting close.

There were about half a dozen in the den at the end of the tunnel, but they hadn't left themselves much cover, while the Minutemen were able to take cover behind the seats in the train car and pick them off one by one.

As the gunfire died, Nora held up her hand for silence. They all stopped to listen, and could hear quiet sobs coming from near by. Piper led the way, and found a woman tied up at the end of the train platform.

"Please don't hurt me!"

Piper knelt next to her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder before she started untying her. 

"Don't worry. Are you Laura?" She continued when the woman nodded. "We're here to rescue you. Your husband sent us."

The woman clung to her, trembling, as she helped her stand. Nora looked at Piper.

"Would you mind walking her out while we clear the rest of this place?"

"Of course I will."

Nora assigned three more Minutemen to escort Piper and Laura back out of the station. The remainder started making their way up the parallel train car towards the other platform. They came across another four raiders on their way, but they very kindly presented themselves one at a time, back lit by powerful construction lights, and the Minutemen had no problem dealing with them.

They spent a few minutes afterwards scavenging any items that would be useful back at the settlements, before joining the rest of the group on the surface. 

When they returned to County Crossing and the Slog, a small subgroup from each settlement volunteered to escort the three women back to Greentop Nursery, which is what Laura called her home. Her husband, Greg, was thrilled to see them return. Nora arranged with him for their settlement to be added to the regular Minuteman patrols, and their escort agreed to stay on for a while to help them set up some defenses. Greg and Laura urged Piper and Nora to spend the night too, before continuing on their way.

\+ + +

Nora looked at Piper questioningly. She had noticed Piper glancing at her several times since they had started out from Greentop Nursery that morning.

"Do I have something on my face?"

Piper grinned.

"I just don't often get to see you as the General of the Minutemen. You're really good at it."

Nora blushed and shrugged uncomfortably.

"It feels like a role I'm playing, like a kid playing dress-up."

Piper slipped an arm around her waist.

"Well, I still think you're really good at it… General."

She grinned as Nora groaned. 

"Please don't start calling me that, Pipes."

\+ + +

Recon Bunker Theta was about a two hour walk north of Greentop Nursery, hidden away along a dirt track. The door was locked, but when Nora entered the recon team's call sign into the terminal next to it, the lock clicked open satisfyingly.

Nora opened the door and looked inside, almost immediately raising her hands. She glanced back at Piper and shook her head slightly, warning her to stay where she was. Piper heard a male voice call out from inside.

"Freeze! One more step and I'll blow your damned head off. Who are you? Who sent you? How did you get in here?"

"Are you Brandis?" Nora's voice was gentle.

Piper heard the man's agitated breathing.

"Who are you? Where did you hear that name?"

"I followed the distress beacons left by your team. Their holotapes led me here."

"The others? What happened to them?"

"I'm sorry, Paladin. They're all dead. I recovered their holotags." 

"You... you did?" 

Nora moved one hand slightly, then paused. "May I?" The man must have assented, because Piper saw her reach into her pocket and pull out the tags. She took a step forward, holding them out.

"Thank you. This… really means a lot to me." The man's voice had changed, losing its aggressive tone, and cracking a little. 

She saw Nora lower her hands and glance at her. 

"I have a friend with me. Is it all right if she joins us?"

He must have agreed, because Nora held out her hand to Piper. Paladin Brandis was an older man, his grey beard and hair were long and wild. He still wore his Brotherhood of Steel uniform, a black version of the uniform Rhys had worn, with a set of combat armor over it. He turned away from them as Piper entered the bunker, walking further in and collapsing into a chair.

"I tried to go back for them, you know. But there was nothing I could do… not alone. I had hoped…" He looked up at them. "You went through a lot to find them. I should… I should give you something." He gestured vaguely around the bunker. "I've collected a lot of stuff over the years. Technology, odds and ends. If you see something you like here, take it."

Nora took a seat across from him.

"The Brotherhood is in the Commonwealth now, Paladin. They need you. You should report in."

He shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

"I can't. It's been too long. I wouldn't be of any use."

"You know more about the Commonwealth than anyone else. They need your knowledge."

"I've been here to long. I'm… not myself." He looked up at Nora almost hopefully. "Would they still take me?"

Nora reached out and touched his arm gently.

"The Brotherhood will honor the memory of your team, but shouldn't you be the one to tell their story?"

He swallowed hard, rubbed a hand across his eyes and nodded.

"You're right. Unless I go back, their sacrifice… everything we went through… will be forgotten. I can't let that happen." He stood up. "I'll do it… for them." He started looking around. "I just need to collect my things." He pulled a duffel bag from under a cot and started stuffing a few items into it. He stopped in front of them a few minutes later.

"Thank you."

"They're at the Boston Airport, Paladin. Do you know how to get there from here?" He nodded and held a hand out to her. She shook it and he left without looking back. Nora took a deep breath and dropped back into her chair. 

"That could have gone really badly."

"What are you talking about? You were amazing! I thought words were my thing, but, my god, Blue."

Nora laughed shakily and held out a hand in front of Piper's face. She could see it trembling. Nora reached for Piper and pulled her into her lap, leaning her head on Piper's shoulder and holding her tightly.

"Seat of the pants lawyering. Always leaves me a wreck."


	47. Blackbird Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines learn something about a friend.

They were taking cover in the basement of Wattz Electronics. Before they had left Railroad HQ a couple of days earlier, Carrington had given Blue another assignment related to the Augusta safehouse. A Railroad runner had reported seeing Agent Blackbird, badly injured, after the attack. Though Carrington doubted he could have survived, Desdemona wanted to know for certain, so he gave Blue the coordinates for a dead drop and asked her to look into it.

They had found the dead drop, which had pointed them to the BADTFL Regional Office, but a radstorm had come up unexpectedly, and they had had to take cover in the nearest building. Fortunately, all they had come across inside were a couple of radroaches, and a bunch of dormant robots.

They had laid out their sleeping bags against a storage crate to sit on, and Piper had been using the time to write up some notes for an upcoming story for her paper. Blue had been reading a book on her pip boy, but now she was turning the radio dial, trying to find Diamond City Radio. Once she did, she put her pip boy down on top of her pack, stood up, and held her hands out to Piper. When she took them, Blue pulled her to her feet and put an arm around her waist. Piper grinned.

"What are you doing?"

"Dancing with my girlfriend. Unless she objects?" Blue pulled away a little so she could see Piper's face. Piper's smile widened.

"She doesn't, but she doesn't really know how to dance either."

Blue shook her head.

"That doesn't matter. Dancing is just an excuse." 

She pulled her close again, one hand firmly against the small of Piper's back, the other holding her hand. She pulled away again and looked down at Piper's feet, poking at one of them with her toe.

"Let me get my foot in between yours." 

Once Piper complied, she pulled her close again, and started swaying to the music. Piper slowly relaxed, following Blue's lead.

"An excuse for what?"

"Hmm?" Blue started taking small steps, so that they were slowly turning in place.

"You said dancing was just an excuse."

She felt Blue's smile against the side of her face.

"For being close, for putting our hands all over each other in public."

Piper laughed. The song was ending, and Blue leaned in to kiss her.

"Another?"

Piper smiled and nodded. Blue chuckled as the next song started up and started singing along, leaning the side of her head against Piper's.

_"Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak_  
_And I seem to find the happiness I seek, when we're out together dancing cheek to cheek"_

She started taking larger steps as she felt that Piper was getting more comfortable with the movement.

_"Oh I love to climb a mountain, and to reach the highest peak, but it doesn't thrill me half as much as dancing cheek to cheek."_

Piper felt that she was grinning like an idiot, and her cheeks were starting to ache.

_"Dance with me, I want my arm about you, the charm about you will carry me through to heaven_  
_I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak_  
_And I seem to find the happiness I seek_  
_When we're out together dancing, out together dancing, out together dancing cheek to cheek."_

As the song ended, and Travis started talking, Piper put her arms around Blue's neck and pulled her in to kiss her. When she pulled away, she saw a strange look on Blue's face.

"What's wrong?"

Blue looked at her for a long moment before answering.

"Are you happy? With what we have?"

Piper's eyes widened slightly.

"Yes! Of course I am. This is the happiest I've been in a long time. What makes you ask?"

Blue took her hand and pulled her back towards the sleeping bags, tugging her down to sit next to her and leaning over to turn off the radio on her pip boy.

"I just can't help feeling like I'm getting more out of this relationship than you are."

Piper shook her head, but Blue continued before she could speak.

"Relationships are supposed to be about compromise, and give and take."

"Blue, I'm happy with what we have, really."

Blue took her hand and smiled.

"Let me finish, Pipes, please."

Piper nodded.

"Yes, I'm asexual, but in my case it just means I don't really care or think about sex, I don't seek it out. But I'm not physically incapable, and I don't find it unpleasant or repulsive. What I'm trying to say is, I don't want you to feel like you can't ask for what you need. I want you to feel as fulfilled and happy as I do." She gave a little grin. "That sounded really corny, but I mean it. I love you and I want you to be happy."

Piper leaned in to kiss her.

"My girlfriend, the sap." She squeaked and giggled as Blue tickled her. "Sorry, sorry!" She leaned against Blue's shoulder. "Thank you, Blue. I love you too. And…" She leaned closer and whispered huskily in her ear, "there is something I'd like right now."

She grinned when she saw a flush creep up Blue's cheeks.

"Oh, yeah?"

She jumped to her feet, her grin widening, and held her hands out to Blue. 

"Dance with me some more?"

Blue turned the radio back on before taking Piper's hands and letting her pull her up. It was another hour before the storm passed, and Piper's article sat neglected the entire time.

\+ + +

The BADTFL Regional Office was full of raiders. There were a handful near the entrance, being pinned down by a turret in the ceiling. When they saw Blue and Piper they lost their wits and stepped out from their cover. The turret made quick work of them. After destroying the turret, they started working their way through the building.

The building was full of furniture, and the rooms were multi-level, which made it both easier and harder. Both they and the raiders had plenty of cover. They cleared the first room, and started into a corridor leading down to the cells, taking out the raiders that presented themselves at the end of the corridor. 

There was a break in the wall at the end of the room with the cells, leading back up to a room full of filing cabinets. They played hide and seek with the three raiders in that room. Blue and Piper had split up, and as Piper crept around the corner of a row of filing cabinets, she saw the last raider taking aim at Blue's back. As Piper raised her pistol, Blue heard the raider's steps and turned. Piper took several shots, but not before the raider pulled the trigger on his own weapon, and she watched in horror as Blue staggered back and fell.

She rushed over and dropped to her knees next to her.

"Blue!"

Blue groaned. 

"I'm… I'm OK." She sounded out of breath and groaned again as she raised a hand to her chest. "It hit the armor. I don't think it went through." She started fumbling with the straps of her chest piece. "Help me?"

Piper helped her take it off and unbuttoned her shirt to examine the area. She gave a half-sob of relief. Blue's chest was already bruising from the impact, but the armor had done its job. She helped Blue sit up and hugged her gently.

Blue sat back against one of the filing cabinets and examined the discarded chest piece, poking a trembling finger into the bullet hole. Piper sat next to her and offered her a Nuka Cola from her pack.

"A friend once told me it's good for shock."

Blue laughed and took the drink, taking a long swallow and offering it back to Piper. They sat for several minutes, finishing the drink before starting to look through the building for signs of Blackbird.

They found his body in one of the cells, and a note in his pocket. Blue read it out loud.

"Augusta overrun. Two coursers, unknown number of old-models. I'm the only survivor. They came straight at us, knew our location. Package's fate is unknown. If I don't make it, make them pay. BB."

As they left the cell, Blue caught sight of a holotape on the desk in front of them, and popped it into her pip boy. She turned to Piper as it finished playing.

"This must be evidence from the Eddie Winter case. I remember him. He was a mob boss from my time. It was the headline story in the paper the day the bombs fell. They'd been investigating him for ages, and then it turned out he'd been cooperating with the feds and was going to get away scot free."

They continued looking through the building for anything useful. They found the key to the evidence locker in a desk drawer and made their way back to the front of the building to see what they could find in it. As Piper stuffed chems, meds and ammo into their packs, Blue started playing another holotape she'd found. They both froze looking at each other as they heard the first few words.

"Detective Valentine. Nick. Listen… I'm sorry. You've got every right to be upset..."


	48. Winter Is Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines hit a bump in the road.

"Hi, Ellie. Is Nick around?"

The young woman turned from where she'd been leaning into the drawer of one of the filing cabinets and smiled at Nora and Piper.

"Hey, you two. He went to talk to Vadim about a new case. He should be back soon. And speaking of new cases, I have a new file there, if you're interested?"

Blue stepped around Ellie's desk and picked up the file she had indicated, making a quick catch with her hand as a holotape slipped out of the folder, then opening the folder and skimming the contents.

"Marty Bullfinch?"

"He was Nick's partner for a while. Emphasis on _was_. I don't know what exactly went down between Marty and Nick, but it must be a pretty big score for him to come to Nick for help."

Blue nodded and slipped the holotape into her pocket. 

"I'll look into it."

They all looked to the door as it opened, and the synth detective walked through. He stopped for a moment to look at them, before continuing to his desk.

"So, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Blue glanced at Piper. 

"We… found something we thought you should see. Or hear, rather."

"Well, what is it?"

Blue pulled out the second of the two holotapes they had found at the BADTFL and put it into her pip boy. She watched Nick as the tape started playing, noticing how the lights of his eyes sharpened.

"...you've got every right to be upset, but you need to believe me when I tell you I had no idea. Operation Winter's end was my baby. I believed in it. I still believe in it. They kept us all in the dark, me included."

Ellie had moved to stand behind Nick's chair, and stood with one hand over her mouth as she listened, her eyes wide with surprise.

"There's nothing we can do. Winter was a stoolie for the feds. He reported directly to the BADTFL All on the books. For his cooperation, Winter will be granted total immunity. It's over. Effective immediately, Operation Winter's End is to cease all investigations and operations. Nick, listen to me. Everything that's happened with Winter. With… Jenny. It's more than one man should have to handle. You need help. Boston PD has been working with the eggheads at C.I.T…"

They all remained silent, gathered around the pip boy until the holotaped message finished. Blue popped the holotape out of her pip boy and put it on the desk in front of him. The three women looked at Nick. He gave a sigh, and then a sharp laugh.

"This is a part of Nick Valentine's history that I've been wanting to put a bow on for a while now." He glanced between Blue and Piper. "I could use a hand, if you'd be willing to take a crack at it?"

They both nodded. He tapped the holotape.

"Eddie Winter. He was a king of organized crime before the war. A bad man, who did a lot of bad things. Hurt a lot of innocent people. But he knew the end was coming, so he sealed himself up in a personal shelter, located under the sub shop he used as a headquarters."

"I read some of the case files the DA had on Eddie Winter. He was a real scum bag."

Nick nodded.

"The story gets even more crazy. The arrogant bastard wanted to cheat death. Live forever, so he could come out of that shelter someday, into this brave new world. Sound familiar? Only Eddie didn't want to be a frozen banana. No cryo sleep for him. No, he invested his money in some sick, crazy radiation experiment."

Piper looked impressed.

"You've really done your homework on this, Nicky."

"I've had a lot of time to dwell on it. Eddie Winter went and turned himself into a ghoul, two hundred years before it was fashionable. Hell, he was probably the first one. And I'm convinced that he's still locked inside that shelter. Safe and sound. Ready to come out, and begin his evil reign all over again. I'm gonna find him, and kill him, so that never happens. You in?"

Blue looked at him for a long while.

"I don't get it, Nick. Why kill Eddie Winter, even if he is still alive? This sounds like some kind of personal vendetta."

He sighed. 

"I've got memories. Of a… a girl. My girl." He put his hand over the holotape. "Jenny. They're not really my memories, I know that. They're Nick's. But the girl… she was real. She was beautiful, and innocent… And Winter killed her." His voice turned hard and angry. "Now he's got to pay the price. So, knowing that… are you in?"

Blue nodded slowly. 

"I'm not a fan of cold-blooded murder, but I'll make an exception for someone like Eddie Winter. The stuff I read about him is probably only about a tenth of the stuff he actually did, and that was enough to make my blood run cold."

Nick nodded in satisfaction. "Sometimes, the only way to end evil is to kill it."

"So, where's the vault?"

"Andrew Station, but the door is sealed with a complex numerical code. Lucky for us, Winter's arrogance knew no bounds. As part of his deal with the feds, he recorded ten holotapes, incriminating different criminal associates. On each one, he hid a single number. We find all of those holotapes, we get all the numbers. We get all the numbers, we get the code. And then we get Winter."

Blue started digging in another pocket, and pulled out another holotape.

"I think we already found one of them. Same place we found that one." She nodded to the one on the desk.

"Nicely done. I have one too, that I managed to snatch from the Cambridge Police evidence lock-up before getting swarmed by ferals. On my way out the door, I noticed an active evidence terminal. I'll bet my hat that terminal is the key to finding the rest of the tapes."

Blue nodded.

"There was one at the BADTFL office too. I didn't know what I was looking for then, but I do remember seeing Winter's name as I scanned through the entries."

Piper patted the synth on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Nicky. We'll find them."

"No particular rush. I've been waiting this long, a few more weeks won't kill me, if you have other things you need to do first."

Blue placed the second holotape on his desk next to the first one, and she and Piper left the office.

"Guess we should head back to the BADTFL office and have another look at that terminal, and I'll have to remember to look at the one in the Cambridge Police Station next time I'm over there too."

"Hey, Blue." Piper put her hand on Blue's elbow. Nora's smile faded as she saw Piper's serious expression.

"I think you're doing it again."

"Doing what again?"

Piper hesitated a moment before answering. "Taking any excuse to avoid going back to the Institute."

Blue's expression turned stony.

"I'm trying to help a friend. I thought he was your friend too, but if that's not the case, I guess I'll take Cait with me instead."

Piper felt as though she'd been punched. By the time she could take a normal breath again, Blue had disappeared around the corner. She was torn between wanting to chase after Blue to tell her exactly where she could get off; wanting to shake her back to her senses; and wanting to hide herself away from the world. She chose the latter, making her way to Publick Occurrences, greeting Nat distractedly and going upstairs to sit at her desk. She pulled out her notebook, intending to copy some of her notes over to the terminal, but sat staring at it blankly instead.

\+ + +

Nora fumed as she stalked across the marketplace towards Home Plate. She didn't notice the uneasy looks the other residents of Diamond City threw her way as she passed, or the way they quickly moved out of her path. She slammed the door of Home Plate behind her.

"Cait!"

There was no reply. She mumbled to herself about people who were never there when you needed them and kicked a tool box to relieve some of her feelings. She had been doing some work in Home Plate during her spare time, putting in some partitions, plumbing in a bathroom, building some shelves and cabinets. She'd enjoyed doing DIY before the war, and since waking up she had found it a good way to relax in her few spare hours, and she needed some relaxation now. She looked around the space and decided that in her current mood, building was probably not the best idea; she'd only end up dropping something on her foot or hammering her thumb. 

She decided, instead, to sort through some of the scrap she had collected and start organizing things on her new shelves. She continued to fume and mutter to herself as she worked.

The nerve of her! Since the day she left the vault, all she had tried to do was help people, try to make the world a better place, and now Piper, of all people, was trying to tear her down. Piper, who was always going on about lending a helping hand. The utter gall! 

One of her best friends asks for help, and she turns him down! 

Nora paused in the act of shelving an old book. Well, no, that wasn't quite fair. Piper hadn't turned Nick down. She shook her head angrily before she could complete the thought.

Did she _want_ a pre-war sociopath running around the streets of Boston?

The lawyer voice inside her head spoke up again. Piper's not objecting to going after Eddie Winter, though, is she?

Well, no. But the man was dangerous. He ought to be stopped before he could start wreaking havoc again. The Commonwealth was enough of a mess without Eddie Winter adding to it.

Again the rational voice in her head chimed in, and now that she thought about it, that voice had started to sound an awful lot like Piper. Is that really the reason you're so gung-ho to go after Eddie Winter right away?

She sat back on her knees, the book she'd been about to shelve neglected on her lap.

No, of course that wasn't the reason. And the reason you got so irrationally angry with Piper was that she was right, and you don't want to admit it.

She sighed, put the book back on the unshelved stack, and got to her feet.

\+ + +

Nat opened the door of Publick Occurrences a few moments after she knocked.

"Hey, Nat. Is Piper here?"

"Yeah. Did you two have a fight?"

Nora nodded.

"Yeah, we did."

Nat pulled back her foot and kicked her in the shin.

"What did I tell you about hurting my sister?"

Nora hissed in pain and clutched her leg.

"I deserved that. I was an idiot."

"Natalie. Go play with Nina for a while." Nat and Nora looked towards the stairs, and saw Piper watching them from the top. "And don't kick people."

Nat glared at Nora as she left. Nora stood hesitantly by the door as Piper came down the stairs.

"So you're an idiot, huh?"

Blue stuffed her hands in her pockets and looked down.

"Yeah." She shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, Piper." She glanced up for a second, then looked down again. "You were right. I'm using this as another excuse to avoid Shaun. I shouldn't have accused you of not caring about Nick. I know you do. And I shouldn't have accused you of wanting a sociopath running around the streets of Boston."

Piper blinked.

"Uh, you never said that, Blue."

"Oh." She flushed, and pulled on one of her ears nervously. "I guess I didn't say that one out loud. I am sorry, Piper."

Piper smirked.

"For not saying it aloud?"

Blue looked up in surprise.

"For thinking it at all. For taking my fear and anger out on you when you were just trying to help."

Piper took the last few steps towards Blue and wrapped her arms around her. She felt the tension fade out of Blue's body as she relaxed into the embrace.

"When are you going to go back?"

Nora blew out a breath.

"Tomorrow."


	49. Underground Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine has a heart to heart with her son.

"Hello, Mother."

Nora's heart clenched on hearing that word. She looked away from him for a moment as she took a seat across from him, trying to hide the pain it caused her.

"Shaun."

"I'm glad to see you return safely. I know the task was difficult, but I needed you to see firsthand how dangerous a rogue synth can be."

"A rogue person, Shaun. Gabriel made the same decisions so many humans have, and had to face the same consequences."

A look of distaste crossed Shaun's features.

"Synths may appear human, but they are not people."

Nora looked at him for a long moment.

"Why did you ask me if I could love the child synth as if he were a real boy, then?"

He looked away from her, and she thought he appeared uneasy.

"I do not wish to argue the personhood of synths with you. Will you be staying long this time?"

She hesitated.

"No, Shaun. I have people waiting for me on the surface."

He nodded.

"The young reporter."

Nora's eyes widened slightly, and she felt her breath quicken.

"Yes."

"Your life would be much easier if you were to join us here permanently."

"Life up there would be much easier if the Institute used some of its technology to help the people on the surface instead of terrorizing them." She held out a hand when he opened his mouth to respond. "No, wait, please. Growing up down here, you were taught to believe that the world above is irreparably damaged, but it isn't. People are still living their lives, falling in love, raising children, doing good. Yes, there is evil, but that can be found everywhere. It was true before the bombs fell, and it's true now. Can't you see how much good you could do for humanity, if you shared what you've learned?" 

He shook his head.

"We do not have the resources to supply the whole Commonwealth. We must think of our own needs first."

She gave him another long, steady look.

"What are you thinking, Mother?"

She looked down.

"I was thinking how disappointed your father would have been to hear you say something like that."

"I wonder how disappointed he would have been to know how quickly you moved on from him."

She looked at him in shock.

"I don't care how old you are, you do not talk to your mother like that!"

He had the grace to look ashamed.

"There's a lot you don't know about your father, about me, and about our relationship. But know this, Nate would never have wanted me to wallow in misery. He would be glad to know I've found happiness." She stood up. "I think I need some time alone."

"I'm sorry, Mother. Your words struck an unpleasant chord, and I lashed out unthinkingly. I think I also need some time alone to rest."

She looked at him more closely, noticing for the first time, the dark circles under his eyes, and the grey tinge to his skin.

"Are you well, Shaun?"

He paused, then shook his head.

"No, Mother. I am dying. I have an aggressive form of cancer, and our treatment options have all come to nothing."

Her legs felt weak, and she collapsed back into her chair.

"You're dying?"

"It was one of the reasons I had you revived. I wanted to meet you before… I am sorry to distress you. I hadn't intended to tell you so soon. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I really should take some time to rest."

She nodded blankly, stood up again and walked out of his quarters. She walked aimlessly for several minutes, until an overheard phrase brought her out of her thoughts.

"I saw the synth Shaun today. There's something about him that just makes me sad."

She looked around, trying to figure out where she was. She was still in the residential area, and the voice seemed familiar, but she was having trouble placing it. A male voice responded.

"Why? He's not perfect, but he's a remarkable step forward for the program. You all did an amazing job."

Now she realized who had spoken first. Janet Thompson, one of the scientists in the Advanced Systems department. These must be her family's quarters.

"No, I know, but I can't stop thinking about him. He's supposed to be an exact replica of a child, but that's all he'll ever be. It feels wrong."

There was a bench outside the door, and she seated herself on it, eavesdropping shamelessly.

"I don't understand what the issue is. He is as real as any child I've ever seen."

"That! We gave him nearly every capability of a real child, except a future. He'll never age, he'll never be allowed to grow up or have a family of his own."

Nora frowned. Synths didn't age? Or was it just the child synth?

"So you're worried about what will happen to him?"

"He'll be a child forever. Sometimes I feel we have no right to do the things we do, just because we can is not a reason. I think we made a mistake."

She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. What had they done? A child that could never grow up? That was truly an abomination. Not the child himself, but doing that to a child.

"Janet, don't say things like that. Someone might not understand, and take it the wrong way."

The man sounded nervous. His voice approached the door and it closed, cutting off any further eavesdropping. It seemed that all was not sunshine and roses at the Institute, despite Shaun's talk of a better life.

She chewed her lower lip wondering what to do next. She had been there the whole day already. She had spoken with Z1-14 and told him of Desdemona's plan. He had asked her to give him some time to speak with his people, to see how many would be willing to take up arms for their freedom. She had stopped off to see Liam and had given him the Code Defender password, but hadn't told him of the updates to the plan. She had spent some time with Allie Filmore, chatting and getting to know her better. And she had spent time talking with several of the scientists. Some of them had asked her to help them with tasks that needed doing on the surface.

More than anything, she wanted to go home, but her mind kept replaying the conversation she had just heard. Finally, she stood and headed towards Doctor Li's quarters. The woman looked at her blankly when she answered the door.

"Oh, it's you."

"I wondered if I could ask you some questions?"

"Very well. Come in."

She gestured Nora to a seat and sat across from her. Nora paused to think for a moment.

"Well?"

"I've heard that synths don't age, and Kellogg, the man who took Shaun, he looked the same when I found him as he did sixty years ago…"

Doctor Li rolled her eyes.

"And you want to know if we can make you immortal too?"

Nora blinked at her in surprise.

"What? No. No, that's not what I was going to ask."

Now it was Doctor Li who looked surprised, and was that a tinge of respect?

"Oh. Sorry. Continue."

"I wondered if it was reversible. Can synths be made to age normally?"

Doctor Li's eyebrows rose. 

"If I may, what makes you ask?"

Nora decided to tell a version of the truth. She didn't want to bring up Janet Thompson's name and possibly get her into trouble.

"I was thinking of the child, Shaun. If he's like other synths, he'll never age, never grow up, will he?"

The other woman looked uncomfortable.

"No, he won't." She looked down for a while and appeared to be gathering her thoughts. "The technique has never been tried, but, yes, it should be possible to make a synth start aging normally."

Nora stood.

"Thank you, Doctor."

The scientist nodded and led her to the door. Once she was alone again, Nora opened her pip boy, and accessed the teleportation menu. It was time to go home.


	50. Building a Better Crop

Piper was sitting on her bed with her knees up and her notebook leaning against them, but she hadn't written anything in a long time. It was late. Nat had been asleep for a couple of hours already, and she had expected Nora to return from the Institute by now. She sat chewing on the end of her pen and worrying, every horror story she'd ever heard about the Institute running through her head to explain what might have held her up. She jumped when she heard a knock on the door, even though it was so soft it was barely audible. She ran downstairs and pulled the door open. It was Nora.

"Oh, thank god." She pulled her into a hug. "I was getting worried."

"Can I stay here tonight?"

Something in her voice made Piper pull back and look at her. She looked drained and exhausted, and there was a tightness around her eyes, as though she were holding herself together by sheer force of will.

"Yes, of course." She put an arm around Nora's waist, closed the door behind her, and led her up the stairs. Nora sat down listlessly on the edge of the bed. Piper knelt in front of her and cupped her face in her hands.

"What happened, Blue? Do you want to talk about it?"

Nora took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. Piper kissed her forehead.

"OK. Let's get you to bed."

She helped her take off her boots and her outer clothes and get under the covers and got in next to her. Nora buried herself against Piper's chest, clinging tightly to her, and Piper could feel her shoulders shuddering as she started crying silently against her. Piper held on to her, rubbing one hand gently up and down her back. As the sobs died down, she heard her muffled voice.

"He's dying."

Piper's hand paused. Based on where she'd spent the day, there was only one person she could be speaking of.

"Shaun?"

She felt Nora nod against her.

"I keep losing him. Every time I think I've found him, I lose him again."

She felt Nora's shoulders start shaking again, more gently this time, and she tightened her hold on her.

"I'm so sorry, Blue."

\+ + +

Nora woke the next morning with sore eyes and throat and a stuffed up nose, but also with Piper's arms still wrapped around her, which made up for the post-crying blehs. She felt Piper shift slightly, and pulled back enough to see her blinking blearily. She leaned up to kiss her jaw.

"Morning."

Piper stretched, then wrapped her arms around Nora again, and kissed the top of her head.

"Morning. How're you doing?"

Nora sighed and snuggled a little closer.

"Better. Not as overwhelmed as I felt last night."

"Good. D'you have to go report in to Des?"

"No, I'm in a holding pattern with Z1. I have to get back to him in a couple of days once he's had time to talk to the other synths. But I do have some jobs to do for the scientists, if I'm going to keep my cover for the railroad."

"What do you need to do?"

"The usual sort of stuff. Clear out some feral ghouls that are causing problems. Clear out some raiders ditto. Hey," she pulled herself up to lean on one elbow so she could see Piper, "do you know anything about Warwick Homestead?"

Piper shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. Where is it?"

"South of the Castle, in what used to be a sewage treatment facility."

"Oh, yeah. I've heard of that place. Hadn't heard a name, though. What about it?"

"One of the scientists sent me to drop off some experimental seeds with the leader of the settlement. Or rather, with his synth replacement."

Piper sat bolt upright, automatically reaching for her notebook and pen.

"When do we leave?"

Nora grinned and rolled onto her back.

"Whenever you're ready." She put a hand on Piper's arm, turning serious. "But, Piper, remember that I'm supposed to be under cover. We can't go in and just tell everyone the man's a synth."

Piper frowned.

"I'm not saying you can't get the story, just be… I don't know… sneaky about it, OK?"

Piper sighed and nodded and allowed Nora to pull her back down to the bed, the notepad and pen falling unnoticed to the side.

\+ + +

The trip to the Warwick Homestead took half the day. They had spent some time before leaving planning their route, after Piper mentioned that the road there led through the Quincy Ruins. They ended up hugging the coastline, to avoid being seen by the Gunners that had taken over the area.

Piper and Nora looked around interestedly as they approached the settlement. 

"It looks like they've got a pretty good situation here. Surrounded by water on three sides, so they only need to guard one side, and the original buildings appear to be pretty well intact."

Piper nodded, then grimaced as the wind shifted.

"Too bad about the smell."

Nora chuckled and started to respond, but broke off when she saw a man walking towards them.

"Afternoon. Didn't run into too much trouble coming out here, I hope?"

Nora smiled at him.

"Some bloodbugs chased us halfway across the Commonwealth, but we made it."

Piper blinked at her in surprise. Of all the dangers they'd had to deal with on their way here, bloodbugs were the one thing they _hadn't_ run into. Nora gave her a quick wink when she noticed her confusion.

"Yeah, those things can be pretty territorial. Glad they didn't catch you. Since you traveled all this way, how about a quick tour? Right this way. I'll show you what we've been up to."

Piper raised a hand.

"Uh, sorry. We've had a long walk. Could I borrow the facilities?"

The man, she assumed he was Roger Warwick, smiled at her.

"Of course. Hold on a sec." He turned away from them and raised his voice. "Janey, would you come here for a minute, please?"

A girl two or three years older than Nat came towards them and Roger asked her to show Piper the way. Nora watched her go with a smile. Trust Piper to find a way.

"Shall we?"

She turned back to Roger, nodded and followed him towards a patch of gourds.

"You've got the seeds?"

She nodded and pulled the packet out of her pack.

"Good. I'll take those." He turned the packet over in his hands for a moment before looking back up at her. "Listen, I need your help. The whole operation's in danger of being exposed."

"Why? What happened?"

He sighed.

"I think my foreman, Bill Sutton, suspects what I really am. He's been spying on me and having secret conversations with our farmhand, Cedric. Now he's starting to work on my wife and kids, trying to turn them against me too."

Nora looked closely at him.

"They aren't really your wife and kids, remember."

He looked away from her uneasily.

"Yeah. I know. Force of habit, I guess. I've gotten used to saying it."

There was something in his posture and the tone of his voice that made her think it was more than just habit. Not surprising. After all, if he'd been given enough of the real Roger's memories to pass as him among family members, it stood to reason that he would have some of the same feelings towards them.

"Now Cedric's vanished. Bill says he had to visit a sick relative, but I think he went to get help."

"Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

"Of course I don't!" He sounded frustrated and afraid. "The whole point of their plan was to keep me from finding out. But if Bill's taken June and the kids into his confidence, he might have told them what he's planning. They won't talk to me, they're too suspicious, but they have no reason to suspect you or your friend. Just remember, they're pretty scared. It won't be easy."

Nora nodded. 

"I'll see what I can find out."

She turned away from Roger in time to see Piper leaving the main building, and walked over to join her.

"These people are scared, Blue."

Nora nodded.

"The foreman's convinced them that Roger's a synth."

"He _is_ a synth!" She sighed and looked around to make sure she hadn't been overheard. "But I don't think he's the one they're scared of."

"Oh?"

"I got both the kids to talk to me a bit, and reading between the lines, I get the feeling the real Roger was a piece of work. Always drunk, probably abusive. They both mentioned that 'dad' has been much nicer recently."

"Wow. That was quick work. You've only been gone for about two minutes!"

Piper gave her a smug smile.

"I'm good at what I do."

Nora grinned and threw an arm across her shoulders.

"Yeah, you are. OK, so the farmhand has disappeared, and Roger thinks Bill sent him out to get help. We need to see if we can figure out where he went. Do you want to try talking to the wife while I tackle the kids?"

Piper nodded, and they headed towards the main farm plot. Nora walked over to Janey and smiled at her.

"Hi."

The girl gave her a frightened look. 

"I'm not supposed to talk to you."

Nora questioned her gently.

"Who told you you shouldn't talk to me?"

She cut her eyes nervously towards a man working a couple of rows away from them.

"Is that Bill?"

She nodded.

"Janey, your father is in danger. I'm trying to help him."

"You are?"

"Yes, I am."

Janey gulped and nodded.

"OK. The truth is, I'm really scared for daddy. Foreman Bill says he's a synth and he has to be dealt with. He gave Cedric a lot of money and told him to go to Goodneighbor. I don't know what for. If you really want to help my dad, please find out what Bill and Cedric are up to, and stop them."

She looked around nervously again, and went back to her hoeing. Nora saw Piper heading her way, so she joined her and they walked towards the main building.

"Goodneighbor."

Nora nodded.

"That's what Janey said too. And you were right about how she feels about her father. She told me right out she's frightened _for_ him, not _of_ him."

Piper gave a disgruntled sigh.

"Yes, damn it." Nora looked at her in surprise and she continued. "The Institute are still bastards for doing this, but this synth is just a decent, hard working guy trying to do right by his family, and I can't begrudge him that."

Nora beamed at her, pulled her close and kissed her.

"You're a good soul, Piper Wright, and I love you."

Piper blushed hotly and glanced around to see if anyone was watching them, turning an even brighter red, when she caught June Warwick's amused eye. She cleared her throat.

"If we leave now, we should make it back to Jamaica Plain before dark."

\+ + +

They had a couple of hours of daylight left when they got to Jamaica Plain, and Nora used the time to help the settlers with a couple of building projects they had going. The settlement was growing, and they were discussing plans to expand out as far as the City Hall building for extra housing, and maybe to the church in the other direction. There were several children in Jamaica Plain, and the settlers were talking of setting up a school for them in the church building.

"Hey, Blue?"

They were curled up in one of the spare beds in the bunkhouse, and Nora had been nearly asleep.

"Hmm?"

"What was all that about bloodbugs?"

Nora chuckled.

"Did you know that you get the cutest little wrinkle between your eyes when you're confused?"

Piper rolled her eyes.

"Don't try to distract me."

She could hear the smile in Blue's voice as she answered.

"It wasn't meant to be a distraction, just a statement of fact." She planted a kiss on Piper's shoulder. "It was a countersign, so Roger would know I'd been sent by…" she paused, suddenly remembering they were in a crowded room, "so he'd know I had the packet of seeds for him. Now, go to sleep, would you?"

Piper sighed contentedly.

"I'll be able to, now that I know the answer."

\+ + +

"Hey, Charlie, I'm looking for Cedric Hopton. Know him?" Nora slid a handful of caps towards the Mr. Handy robot bartender at the Third Rail.

"Fella sittin' over there lookin' sorry for himself. Been at it for a while, he has."

"Thanks, Charlie. Give me two beers and two shots of Bobrov's Best, would you?"

"What are you planning?"

"Gonna chat him up. See if I can learn anything. Would you mind slapping me in the face and storming off, Pipes?"

"What?"

"I want him to sympathize. Pretend I said something lewd about Magnolia or something else you'd find upsetting enough to slap me in the face." 

Piper opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, then yelled, "How dare you!" and smacked her. Hard. She immediately turned and stalked towards the stairs. Nora reeled. Wow, she had not held back. She passed Charlie the payment for the drinks and slouched across the bar to where Cedric Hopton was sitting.

"D'you mind?"

She nodded towards the seat next to him and took it when he shook his head. She sighed and massaged her jaw, looking morosely at the drinks in front of her.

"Hey, you want one of these? I don't think she's coming back."

He smirked.

"Yeah, she decked you pretty good."

She pushed one of the beers and shots towards him and he reached for them. She raised her shot glass in his direction before downing it, shuddering as it burned down her throat. He did the same, then quickly finished the beer he'd been nursing and started in on the one she'd given him.

"So what'd you do to deserve that?"

She put on an aggrieved air. 

"I just mentioned that Magnolia was sounding particularly good tonight."

He shook his head.

"Nah, see, that was your first mistake."

She let him continue to give her dating advice until she noticed that his speech was becoming a little slurred. She held up two fingers to Charlie, who brought over two more beers and she pushed one of them over towards Cedric.

"You're not looking too happy yourself, friend. Who kicked your puppy?"

He sighed heavily and finished his second beer.

"Y'know what?"

"What?" She lifted her beer to her lips, but didn't drink.

"My boss s'a synth."

"No! Really? What're you gonna do about it?"

"Bill Sutton, s'this guy works at the farm with me, he sent me here to hire a mercenary to take him out. He gives me this big pile 'a caps an' says 'Cedric, you go to Goodneighbor. They got a lot 'a shady characters there. Find us a mercenary.'" He shook his head disgustedly and took a long swallow from his third beer. "So I'm s'posed to find some contract killer, like I'd know how, and then hire 'em to take out Roger. At first I agreed, but now I'm thinkin' to hell with Bill Sutton. I'll just stick around here for a while, spend this pile 'a caps. 'Course, he's prolly figured out that I ain't comin' back. Might just take matters into his own hands. S'frightened as he is, man's capable of just 'bout anything."

Nora shook her head in commiseration.

"That's rough, friend. But if things are gonna hit the fan at your farm, you're probably safer out of the way." 

He nodded.

"Yeah. Too bad 'bout them kids though. Hope they don't get in the way."

She chatted with him for a little while longer then made her excuses and left the bar. She found Piper chatting with Ham the bouncer at the top of the stairs. Piper gasped when she saw her.

"Oh my god!"

Nora looked behind her, expecting to see someone about to attack her. There was no one. She looked back at Piper who hurried up to her and turned her face towards the light, running her hand gently along the side of Nora's face.

"I didn't mean to hit you that hard. I can see my hand print."

Nora grinned at her.

"It was certainly convincing. And I got what we needed."

She led Piper out of the bar and explained what she had learned from Cedric.

"I think he'd already pretty much talked himself out of going through with Bill's plan, and won't be going back to the farm at least until he's drunk up the entire amount Bill gave him, which should take a while."

"So... back to the Warwick's?"

"Yeah, but let's go back home and grab Cait for extra backup, just in case."

Piper nodded.

\+ + +

They started back for Warwick Homestead first thing the next morning. Cait made a face when they got within smelling distance of the farm.

"God. Smells like somethin' died."

Nora grinned at her.

"That, my friend, is the smell of two hundred year-old sewage. And, according to Roger, it's what makes his farm so fertile."

"Well, he can keep it."

Their mood changed as they entered the main building and found Bill Sutton holding a gun on Roger Warwick as his family watched in horror. June had pulled Janey and Wally behind her and Roger stood, hands up, across from them, ensuring that, if shots were fired, they wouldn't hit his family. 

"One way or another, you're going to admit what you are. When you do, everyone will know the real Roger Warwick is dead and gone."

Cait reached for her shotgun, but Nora put a hand on her arm to stop her. June spoke, sounding choked and frightened.

"He's right here, Bill!"

Bill's gun wavered, then steadied as Roger spoke up.

"Bill, please, I'm begging you, let's just talk about this." 

Bill noticed the three of them in the doorway.

"You! I know you're part of this." He waved his gun towards them. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were wide with fright and anger. "You probably killed the real Roger so this _thing_ could take his place." He gestured towards Roger with his gun.

Nora took a step away from Piper and Cait, hands up in front of her.

"Calm down, Bill. You're letting fear get the better of you."

Bill's chest heaved.

"I should be afraid! Everyone should be. These synths are everywhere! Who the hell are you, anyway? I'll tell you who you are… you're one of them! You show up outta nowhere, have your secret chat with Roger, and the next thing I see, you're off looking for Cedric." He wiped his face with one trembling hand, the other still holding the gun wavering between her and Roger. "That's right, I figured it out. I know you're up to something, and I ain't going to trust a word you say."

"Bill, we just came to deliver some seeds Roger had ordered from a farm up north. He asked me to look for Cedric because he's afraid for his family. Bill, look at the children. Do you really want to leave them without a father?"

He shook his head angrily.

"Their real father is long gone, and I'm guessing you people had a hand in that. So what do you plan to do, stranger? Are you ready to take a bullet for a synth?"

Hands still up, Nora took two slow steps to the side and stood in front of Roger, holding Bill's eyes the whole time.

"If it means protecting innocent people from a madman, yes."

Bill took a shuddering breath.

"A madman? Is that what you think I am?" He glanced back towards June and the children. "I know what I've seen! At least… I think I do." He lowered his gun, looking confused. "What else could explain it?" He looked around. "None of you believe me, do you? Am I really crazy? I was so sure about Roger." He suddenly looked horrified. "Jesus, what if I'd… I was about to… right in front of June and the kids."

Nora stepped up to him and took the gun out of his unresisting hand. He took a shuddering breath and looked between her and June. 

"I have to leave. I'm sorry. I need to sort things out. I've lost sight of things."

He walked quickly out of the building, as Roger moved to embrace the suddenly sobbing June and his kids. He looked at Nora over the tops of their heads.

"Thank god you were here."

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, mostly. I thought I was a dead man. If you don't mind, I think we need to be alone for a while. You be safe out there."

She nodded, and turned back to Piper and Cait, leaving the gun in one of the lockers near the door on their way out. Piper took her hand as they walked out, holding it tightly.

"Well, that was stupid!"

Nora and Piper turned to look at Cait who had stopped at the bottom of the walkway out of the main building and was glaring at Nora, with her arms crossed.

"D'ye make a habit of steppin' in front of armed crazy people?"

Nora scratched the back of her head.

"I was wearing armor, Roger wasn't."

"That's not the point! He was a crazy person wavin' a gun around."

"He wasn't crazy, Cait. He was scared. And I've had some training."

Cait looked taken aback, and even Piper glanced at her questioningly.

"Trainin' in how to step in front of crazy armed people?"

"Not specifically, but yeah. De-escalation is what they called it. Using words to make sure a situation like that one doesn't get as far as shooting. If I'd had to, I would have shot him, but I wanted him to have a chance to think it through and step back without resorting to violence."

Cait shook her head.

"I still don't understand ye."

Nora smiled at her.

"No, but you trust me enough to follow my lead, and that's enough for now."

Cait rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in."

Piper put an arm around Nora's waist and leaned in to kiss her cheek. 

"You did good, and I'm proud of you."


	51. Atom Cats Are Go

"Would you mind if we made one more stop before we head back home?"

Piper and Cait looked at Nora questioningly.

"What did you have in mind?" Piper asked.

"After three trips to the Glowing Sea, my power armor needs some repairs. Arturo said that's not his area, but he suggested a place near here, a group of power armor junkies that call themselves the Atom Cats." She pointed across the bay. "They're in a Red Rocket station just across there."

Cait glanced at Nora's loaded pack.

"I wondered what you were heftin' in there. Fine by me."

Piper nodded her agreement, and so, accordingly, when they reached Quincy, they turned off into the next peninsula, heading for the rocket ship already visible in the distance. Nora whistled appreciatively as they got closer to the old station.

"Nice place."

The Atom Cats had made a fence of junk cars around the perimeter of the property. Inside, they could see several people in full sets of T-60 power armor, and those who weren't, tended towards leather jackets and jeans. 

"Looks like the 1950's vomited all over this place. In a good way." Piper and Cait looked confused. "I'll explain later." She walked up to one of the power armor suited lookouts. "Hey, I was hoping to get some help repairing some pieces of power armor. Who do I talk to?"

"Our girl Rowdy knows what's what when it comes to power armor and power armor mods. You'll find her in the garage. But if you want in with the Cats, get tight with Zeke. He's probably in the back."

"Got it, thanks."

They headed into the garage, and found a young woman working on a suit of power armor. She looked up as they came in.

"Hey, there. What can I do you for?"

Nora put her pack on the ground and pulled out a couple of the power armor pieces.

"I was hoping to get some help repairing these."

"Whoa, your plates got me cranked!" Nora looked up in surprise to find a young man with a bouffant hairdo, looking appreciatively at the armor pieces she'd laid out. He put his hands in his pockets and nodded at them. "Name's Zeke."

"Nora." She nodded towards the other two. "Piper and Cait." She raised an eyebrow. "Plates?"

"Power armor. I like a cat who digs what I dig. And the Atom Cats dig power armor."

Rowdy was examining the pieces. 

"This set's seen some damage."

"It's taken three trips into the Glowing Sea in the last few months. It could use some TLC, but I don't have the know-how to fix it myself."

"You wanna spiff up your power armor, you've come to the right place. The Atom Cats have the most far out mods this side of the apocalypse."

"That's right, Jack. We wear our power armor with style. Not like some other dead heads around."

"It's gonna take a while to get these fixed up. You wanna leave them here and come back later?"

"Or if you want a ticket to fat city, Rowdy here'll try you out. Keep you busy while you wait."

Nora glanced back at Piper and Cait. Cait looked thoroughly confused. Piper shrugged. 

"Yeah, sure. I'm hip."

Zeke chuckled.

"Now we're cookin'! If you think you've got the chops to be an Atom Cat, you gotta be able to strut your stuff. Rowdy'll give you something to get your bread hooks on."

He held his thumb and index finger out like a gun, touched his finger to an imaginary hat brim, then pointed it towards her, with a click of his tongue. He turned and walked back out of the garage.

"So Zeke thinks you've got a little Atom Cat in ya. Let's see if you've got what it takes to shack up with us."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing I can't do myself. Got this clunker I want to see you spiff up." She walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out some electronic components. "It's part of the pump system over at Warwick. I've been putting off hauling myself across the pond, so now you get to do it."

Nora laughed.

"Warwick?"

"What's funny?"

"We just came from there."

"So then you know where you're going. Good. You'll need to install this in the pump shed round the front."

"No problem."

"The Warwick folk might be squares, but they are nice enough. We help them with our skills, they give us food. Works out real nice. Oh, and make sure to let June Warwick know when you're done. She's the bird in charge around there."

"Will do."

Nora stood, leaving her power armor pieces on the floor of the garage. Outside the building she pulled Piper and Cait aside.

"Do you want to come with me, or would you rather wait here?"

"I think I'd like to look around here, if that's OK," Cait said.

"I'll come with you. Watch your back."

Nora nodded and patted Cait on the shoulder.

"We'll be back in a few hours."

They retraced their steps to the old sewage treatment plant. June was out front, tending the melon patch. She stood when she saw them.

"Did you forget something?"

Nora shook her head.

"We were over at the Atom Cats garage getting some power armor pieces fixed. It's going to take a while, so they asked if we minded coming back over here to install this in your pump."

June smiled.

"Those guys are adorable. You help yourself. The pump shed's over there." She pointed to a small outbuilding. "Come on back when you're done. I'll give you a packet of food to take back to them."

The installation was easy. Between the two of them it only took a few minutes to figure it out, and they headed back to June with the satisfaction of a job well done.

"So is that pump all fixed up now?"

"Yup."

"Great! Let me get you that food." 

She brushed off her hands and headed into the main building, with Nora and Piper following.

"Why did you need that pump working?" asked Piper curiously.

June made a face.

"This place used to be a sewage treatment plant. You probably already figured that out. If we can get that pump up and running, we can flush out the system, and hopefully get some of this stink out of the tubes. Maybe someday this'll do the farm some good. The Atom Cats have been a great help to us." While she was talking, she'd been packaging up some mirelurk cakes. She held the package out to Nora. "Here you go. And please, send Zeke my thanks."

Nora nodded, turned to leave, then hesitated and turned back.

"You four doing OK after what happened earlier?"

June took a deep breath.

"Getting there. I'm still getting the shakes whenever I think about it. I wouldn't be surprised if the kids had nightmares about it for a while, but we'll be OK. I'm just glad you got back when you did."

"Me too. Hey, look, I'm with the Minutemen. Would you and Roger be interested in being added to our patrol routes?"

"I thought the Minutemen were gone. We heard bad things about what happened in Quincy."

"They're making a comeback."

"Well, we'll think about it. I'll see what Roger thinks."

Nora nodded, they made their farewells and started back towards the Atom Cats garage. They found Cait hunched over the side of the workbench where Rowdy was finishing the work on Nora's power armor, listening intently as she explained what she was doing. Rowdy looked up.

"All done?"

"All done. June said they were hoping this would get rid of the smell over there."

Rowdy laughed.

"Yeah, why'd you think I kept putting off going back over there?" She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, who builds a farm at a sewage treatment plant?"

"Roger said it makes for fertile soil."

"Maybe, but still! Anyway, thanks for doing that. Just so you know, I will be checking your work. The Cats don't take credit for shoddy craftsmanship." She gestured to the workbench. "I'm nearly done here. Zeke's out back if you want to let him know you're back."

They headed for the larger warehouse building behind the garage, and found Zeke sitting on a bar stool next to a jukebox. He stood when he saw them.

"You're back."

Nora nodded.

"June sends her thanks, and these." She held out the packet of food.

Zeke smiled. 

"That June is a doll, and her mirelurk cakes are the most far out thing I have ever tasted." He looked hopefully into the packet and grinned when he saw that it was full of mirelurk cakes. "Far. Out. Thanks for taking care of our business out at Warwick."

"June said you guys help out a lot out there?"

"When we found this place, they helped us get on our feet. Gave us food. Didn't even ask us for nothing back. And we've been cookin' up a plan to get that pump working again so we can flush out that grody sludge. As a way to say thanks." He held up a hand warningly. "But don't go spilling the beans that the Atom Cats have a heart or somethin'."

"Hey, man. I think it's pretty groovy that you take care of them like that. It's what family does. Even when they're squares."

Zeke laughed.

"Now you're getting the lingo! By the way, your cat Cait over there helped us out while you were gone. Had some gunners pay a visit. Those wet rags keep trying to get their mitts on our suits. But you, Jack," he pointed at Cait, "you slayed!" He turned back to Nora and Piper. "Because of her, we didn't lose a single Cat today."

Nora beamed at Cait, who blushed and looked away.

"Ye're rubbin' off on me, I guess."

Nora pulled her into a one armed hug.

"I'm proud of you, Cait."

Cait shrugged awkwardly.

"All right, all right, shut up about it now, would ye?"

Nora shook her head, grinning wickedly.

"Nope. Gonna shout it from the rooftops. Cait is one of the good ones!"

Cait gave a long-suffering sigh, but Piper noticed her lips quirking into a half smile. Nora turned back to Zeke.

"I'm glad we were able to help out around here. You guys are pretty cool."

"You and your cats are choice material, and friends of the Atom Cats. You have full rein of our digs. And, uh, you know… I can get you hooked up with a little discount around here, yeah? Finally, the Holy Grail for anyone who knows what's cool in the Commonwealth, your very own Atom Cats jackets." He walked behind the counter next to the jukebox and pulled out three leather jackets embroidered with an Atom Cats patch on the back. He held two of them out to Nora and Piper, and held up the third.

"This one's my very own backup jacket. And it goes to our hero of the hour." He held it out to Cait, who took it with a muttered thanks, and reddening cheeks.

They made their way back to the garage and found that Rowdy had finished her work. Nora paid her and stowed the armor pieces and they started back towards Diamond City, with Cait and Nora proudly wearing their new jackets.

\+ + +

A couple of hours into their journey, Nora paused with her hand on her pistol. Cait and Piper immediately went on alert, looking around to see what had caught her attention. They saw a man approaching with a dog walking next to him. As he got closer, and neither he nor the dog displayed any signs of aggression, they all relaxed. Nora nodded to him.

"Nice dog."

He looked up with a wistful smile.

"Man's best friend, right? You looking to buy a dog?"

Nora frowned.

"Why are you selling her?"

"Oh, I don't want to. But, I love dogs, and I gotta make a living somehow, so I raise 'em and sell 'em. I'm always blue for weeks after I sell one, but then I get myself a new puppy and start all over again."

Nora got down on one knee in front of the dog and held a hand out to her.

"Hi, there." She looked up. "What's her name?"

"Ranger."

"Hi, Ranger."

The dog sniffed her fingers, wagging her tail slightly. Nora turned her hand over and scratched the dog's chin. Ranger took a couple of steps closer, and Nora slid her hand up to the back of the dog's ear. She leaned into the scratch, closing her eyes blissfully.

"Seems friendly enough. She a good guard dog?"

"Yeah, the best. Fully trained."

She gave the dog one last scratch and stood up.

"You've got a deal."

The man hesitated.

"Oh, yeah? You sure? I mean, she's a great dog, don't get me wrong. I just don't want to sell her to someone who isn't going to take good care of her."

Nora put her hands on her hips.

"Is your dog for sale or not?"

He sighed and scratched his head.

"Well, yes, but… I just have trouble actually selling my dogs when it gets right down to it. I get kind of attached, you know?"

"I'll take good care of her. Don't worry."

"Yeah, OK. You look like you won't eat her or anything. So you really want to buy her?"

"Yes, I really want to buy your dog."

"OK. You have someplace for her to live, right?"

"I've got a little settlement near Diamond City that could use a guard dog. There's a couple of families living there, a handful of kids. They'd love her."

"I guess that'll have to be OK." He knelt in front of the dog and put his hands on her head. "OK, girl, this is your new owner. She's gonna give you a new home. Go on now. You be a good girl. Bye-bye. I, uh… I gotta go. You take care of her, all right?" He sounded choked up by the end and turned away so quickly, he nearly left without his payment.

They continued on their way, stopping off at Hangman's Alley to introduce Ranger to the settlers there. They stayed long enough to make sure the dog had a sheltered place to sleep before finally make their way home to Diamond City.


	52. Home Plate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines tour a house

Piper knocked on the door of Home Plate and turned the handle when she heard Nora's voice telling her to come in. She stopped short inside. The place was unrecognizable. The floor, which had been concrete in this section of the house, was now covered in smoothed wood planks. 

There were walls around her now that hadn't been there the last time she'd been in there. To her left were two half-full bookcases and two tattered but comfortable-looking armchairs, and a small rug on the floor between them. There was a door in the wall ahead of her and when she peeked inside she found a small bedroom. She jumped when she heard Nora's voice behind her.

"Like it?"

She turned to find Nora stripped down to her sleeveless undershirt and jeans, her skin gleaming with sweat and dusted with sawdust. Piper felt herself flushing at the sight, and looked back into the room.

"You did all this?"

"Cait helped a bit. Under duress. Complaining the whole time." She laughed, and Piper smiled. Yeah, that sounded like Cait.

"Want to see the rest?"

Piper nodded and Nora took her hand leading her down a narrow corridor. There was a door on either side. Nora opened the one on the right to reveal a full bathroom, with a shower. Piper gaped. She didn't know anyone who didn't live in the upper stands who had a shower in their house. Most people used the public showers.

The door to the left led to another small bedroom, oddly shaped, due to the angle of the original wall. Just beyond, the corridor opened up, and Nora had placed an old couch and a couple of armchairs in the space. 

In the far corner, Piper saw a picnic table. The ladder to the second level, which she'd remembered being against the near wall, was now against the far wall, next to the table. And around the corner, Nora had set up a full kitchen. Piper looked around wide-eyed.

"This is amazing!" She indicated the stairs. "Can I look up there?"

When Nora nodded, she ran up the stairs. Nora had removed the small half floor that led to the ladder and the trapdoor to the roof, instead extending the floor of the bedroom across the entire space, and adding an extension to the ladder so the roof was still accessible. The room was sparsely furnished, just a double bed, a small table next to it with a lamp on it, and another bookcase.

She heard Nora coming up the steps behind her and turned towards her. 

"I haven't finished yet."

"It looks great! How did you learn to do all this, Blue?"

She gave a shy half smile and ducked her head.

"Well, some of it I learned from Sturges, but DIY was a big fad in my day, so some stuff, like the woodworking, I learned a while ago."

"DIY?"

"Do it yourself. It was this big trend of learning to make and do things around your house yourself, instead of hiring professionals to do it for you."

"So what are you working on right now?" Piper walked up to her and brushed a bit of sawdust off Nora's shoulder.

"A desk. Up on the roof. Want to see?"

Piper nodded and smiled, preceding Nora up the ladder. She had a whole workshop set up in the trailer on top of her house. Nora took her hand and led her to one end of the workshop where she had a stack of wood on the floor, and on the workbench a piece of paper weighted down with a ruler and a pencil. She shoved the ruler out of the way and showed it to Piper, leaning against the bench with both arms.

"This is as much as I've managed so far. Just the rough sketch. And I was cutting some pieces of wood down to size."

Piper glanced at the paper and tried to listen to what Nora was telling her, but kept getting distracted by her lean arms as she leaned against the workbench and gestured at various items around her. She could feel a grin growing on her face, and warmth rising to her cheeks. Nora turned to her and quirked an eyebrow.

"What?"

Piper bit her lip and reached a hand up to Nora's bare arm. 

"I… uh…" she cleared her throat. "I have to admit, I find this whole sweaty, hard-working look very attractive." She felt the blush deepen when Nora chuckled.

"Oh, yeah?"

She buried herself against Nora's shoulder and managed a muffled "yes." She felt Nora's arms close around her.

"Do you need to do something about it?"

Her voice was hesitant and almost shy, and Piper looked up in surprise. Nora sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind Piper's ear.

"Piper, I told you before, I don't want you to feel like you can't ask to have your needs met." She paused, looking at Piper intently. "I was about to go have a shower." She raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to join me?"

Piper leaned in and kissed her. As she pulled away, Nora asked, "Is that a yes or a no?"

Piper laughed. "Yes."

It was sweet, and awkward and uncertain and involved lots of giggling. Piper had been dealing with her sexual tension periodically since, well, since puberty, but more specifically, since they'd started their relationship, but having Nora with her while she did, feeling her kisses and caresses like fire on her skin, had certainly elevated the experience beyond the usual.

They snuggled together on the couch afterwards, hair still damp.

"By the way, how'd it go with Z1 this morning?" She laughed a little. "That was my original reason for coming over, before you distracted me with your woodworking prowess."

"A lot more synths than he originally thought are willing to fight the Institute. They're going to start building weapons, and I'll smuggle in as many as I can manage without being noticed." She sighed. "It makes it all feel real, you know? We're actually going to war against the Institute. And as much as I despise what they do, and what they fail to do, I can't help thinking of the innocents, the children, the ones who are just living their lives in ignorance of what's really going on. How many of them are going to get caught in the crossfire?"

Piper nodded and tightened her arms around Nora.

"The innocent always tend to suffer the most."

Nora nodded, stood, held a hand out to Piper and led her over to the kitchen, where she set about making them some lunch, seared sliced veggies and brahmin meat wrapped in a flatbread made from ground corn that Nora called a tortilla.

"This is really good, Blue. What's it called?"

"Tacos. It's Mexican food." She popped her head to one side. "Does Mexico still exist?"

"Well, the land is still there, but I think it's broken up into territories same as here. You should ask Arturo."

She nodded and they ate in silence for a few minutes. Piper kept looking around the house, taking in the changes. After a while she turned back to Nora.

"Why do you need so many bedrooms?"

A flush started to creep up Nora's cheeks, and she started nervously tearing up one of her tortillas.

"Oh. Um, well… eventually I was going to ask if you and Nat wanted to move in here. With me. Eventually."

Piper looked at her wide-eyed.

"You did all this for us?"

She shrugged one shoulder.

"Well, I mean, I enjoy doing it. It's relaxing. But, yeah." She dropped the remnants of her tortilla and looked up at her. "I don't want you to feel any obligation, I know it's still early days and…"

Piper leaned in to kiss her, cutting her off..

"That may be the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for us, and eventually, we'd love to." She wrinkled her nose teasingly. "Eventually."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's probably as close to smut as I'll ever get.


	53. Secrets of Vault 81

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines visit a vault.

Nora looked around carefully before nodding to Piper and Cait. The coast was clear, and they were able to exit Railroad HQ without being noticed. Nora had gone in to report her progress with Z1-14 and Patriot to Desdemona, and to report on a couple of other tasks she had been assigned – setting up a MILA device for Tinker Tom, and checking in on Randolph Safehouse, which had tagged a dead drop after going dark for quite a while. Des was hopeful, but P.A.M. was uncertain, so they were proceeding with caution.

Nora sighed deeply and looked at the other two. 

"I could use a break. How about you?"

Cait shrugged.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is all a flippin' holiday, compared to the Combat Zone."

Piper grinned at her, then turned to Blue.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I've heard of a vault near Diamond City that's still operational, and occasionally trades with outsiders. Thought we could go visit, see if we can establish trade between them and some of the nearer Minutemen settlements."

"Oh, Vault 81, yeah."

"Have you been there, Pipes?"

Piper shook her head.

"No, but I've run into a former resident a few times. Girl called Riley. She's a traveling trader now. One thing she told me is that they request some sort of payment before letting someone new in, but it varies depending on what they're low on at the time."

Nora turned to Cait.

"How about you?"

"Nah, heard talk about it, is all."

"So, shall we go?"

The other two agreed, and they started off. 

Piper was right. When they got to Vault 81, the Overseer agreed to let them in if they would trade them three fusion cores, and they had to jog back to Diamond City to raid Nora's stash before getting in.

The Overseer, Gwen McNamara, greeted them herself. It seemed that new visitors were a relative rarity, doubly so new visitors from other vaults. She was understandably proud of her predecessors' and ancestors' ability to keep their vault running for as long as they had, and horrified to hear of what Vault-tec had done at Vault 111. They chatted for a few minutes more before she excused herself to return to work.

They took the elevator down to the living spaces, and looked around as they came out.

"Hey, lady, are you really from the Commonwealth?"

They turned to see a boy of about twelve, with a shock of messy red hair running up a set of stairs towards them. Nora grinned at him.

"Yes, I am."

"Wow, that's so cool! I never met anyone from the Commonwealth before."

"Well, now you have. My name's Nora, that's Piper and that's Cait. What's your name?"

"My name's Austin. Hey, if you want, I can show you around. Only five caps!"

Nora looked skeptically at him.

"A for real tour? 'Cause the last time a kid offered me a tour, they took the money and took off."

He looked offended.

"Of course a real tour."

"OK, Austin. Show me around." She dug out a handful of caps and gave them to him. He practically danced with glee. 

"Just wait till I show you to Erin. She's gonna flip!"

"Hey, Blue?" Piper stepped close to her and spoke softly. "I think I'll skip the tour, go chat with the residents, see if I can get a story out of it."

"Have fun, Pipes."

With Cait trailing behind looking bored, Nora followed Austin as he showed her around his home. She found it interesting. Vault 111 hadn't really been set up with living spaces, beyond the barracks for the technicians keeping an eye on her and the rest of the, to quote Nick, 'frozen bananas'. The place looked innocuous, and she wondered if this had been one of the controls, where Vault-tec had let the people live out their lives normally without some nefarious scheme in the background.

Austin ended the tour at the quarters of his friend Erin, who was duly impressed that he had managed to convince the newcomers to trail along behind him.

"Hey, Austin, you haven't seen Ashes anywhere, have you?"

He shook his head.

"Who's Ashes?"

"My cat."

Nora and Cait glanced at each other.

"We saw a grey cat heading for the entrance on our way to the elevator."

"Oh, no!" The little girl appeared near tears.

"Hey, don't worry, we'll go look for him, OK?"

"You will?"

"Sure."

She glanced back just in time to see Cait roll her eyes. She took her by the shoulders, spun her around and herded her out of the room.

"Ye just can't help yerself, can ye?"

"What do you mean?"

"Always helpin' people."

"C'mon, Cait. She lost her cat! How could I just turn away?"

"That's what I mean. Ye don't even know her! And I very much doubt ye'll be gettin' paid."

"Come on, let's go find Piper and see if the lady at the store has a cardboard box she can loan us. I don't intend to carry a possibly unwilling cat back here in my arms."

"Well, ye've got some sense, at least."

Nora laughed and gave her a playful shove. Cait grinned. They found Piper chatting with the doctor's assistant in the clinic. The doctor himself approached them as they entered. 

"Welcome. I'm Doctor Forsythe. You must be the rest of our guests from the outside. If you should need our services, please see my assistant, Rachel, first. She is quite competent, and she will call me in if the matter should be out of the scope of her abilities."

He offered his hand and Nora shook it.

"I'm Nora. This is Cait."

"I wonder…" He paused and looked at them hesitantly. "I hope I'm not being presumptuous, but I'd like to ask you a favor."

"Go on."

"Would you mind donating some medical samples? Even just a blood sample?"

Cait made a noise of disgust, and Nora put a hand on her arm to still her.

"Why do you need them?"

"It's for my research. The people of Vault 81 have been genetically isolated from the Commonwealth for many generations. I'm trying to determine what the genetic variation is between the two populations."

"I'm happy to give you a blood sample, but you should know that I'm not originally from the Commonwealth. Or rather, I am, but…"

He noticed her pip boy for the first time. 

"Ah, a fellow vault-dweller."

"It's more than that. At my vault, Vault-tec put us into cryogenic stasis. I've been out for less than a year."

His eyes widened. 

"Fascinating. The opportunity to compare a pre-war genetic sample…"

He led her to a chair. 

"Please, sit here. This won't take long."

She sat and rolled up her shirt sleeve, giving him access to the veins on the inside of her elbow. He quickly took the sample, then glanced at Cait.

"And you, young lady?"

Cait shook her head vehemently.

"No. I don't think I will."

He looked disappointed, but nodded. 

"Well, if you change your mind, you know where you find me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should get this processed."

Piper finished her conversation with Rachel and joined them. Nora looked at her in mock seriousness.

"I've been given a job."

"Ye mean, ye volunteered for a job. Again."

Nora shrugged.

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to."

They both stared at her, and she sighed.

"Another perfectly good saying that didn't survive the apocalypse. A little girl's cat escaped the vault and I told her I'd try to find it."

Piper nodded.

"Let's go."

Cait groaned. 

"Ye're as bad as each other."

\+ + +

It had rained recently, and they were able to track the cat quite easily through the mud, along the edge of a small lake and back towards Diamond City.

"Hey, Ashes. Good kitty."

Nora crouched down not looking directly at the cat, placed the box in front of her, and pulled some mirelurk jerky out of her pack, breaking off a piece and putting it in the box, and putting a bit more in front of the box.

Then she took a couple of steps back and looked up at Piper and Cait. 

"Now we wait."

Cait blinked incredulously.

"D'ye expect him to just get in the box by himself?"

Nora stood.

"Well, yeah. Duh! Cats and boxes, Cait."

Now both Cait _and_ Piper were looking at her as though she were crazy.

"I take it neither of you has ever had a cat?"

They both shook their heads.

"And I guess cat videos didn't survive the apocalypse either."

They looked at her blankly. She sighed and looked back towards the cat just in time to see him wiggle his butt and take a flying leap into the box. She laughed, closed the flaps quickly to keep him in and picked up the box triumphantly. Piper and Cait stared at her wide-eyed.

"What the…" 

Nora grinned smugly.

"Like I said, Pipes. Cats and boxes. Well known fact in my time, cats can't resist a box. 'If I fits, I sits' and all that."

Piper shook her head.

"I am so confused right now."

Cait put a hand on her shoulder.

"Me too."

Nora laughed again and led them back towards the vault.

Back in the vault, they noticed the guards in the entry way clumped together, talking in low voices, and down in the residential area, there was hardly anyone around.

"Is anyone else getting a bad feeling?" asked Piper.

Nora and Cait nodded. They could see Erin in the store her parents ran, just past the elevator, and went in to drop off the cat. As they entered, they overheard her father complaining about being forced to stay in. As Nora went to talk to Erin, Piper went up to her mother, Alexis.

"Hey, Alexis, did something happen?"

The woman nodded, looking worried.

"Austin was attacked by a mole rat. He's very sick."

"How did a mole rat get past the guards up top?"

"Nobody knows, or at least, they haven't told us, and we've been told to stay put till they figure it out."

Piper thanked her and rejoined Cait and Nora.

"The kid that gave you the tour is sick. Got bitten by a mole rat."

Nora frowned.

"A mole rat down here?"

"That's what I said."

"Maybe we should check with Dr Forsythe, see if he needs any help, or supplies."

Piper nodded, Cait shrugged, and they headed towards the clinic. They found Dr Penske, Austin's guardian, arguing with Dr Forsythe. A young man was hovering nearby, trying to get their attention.

"You've got to do something, Jacob!"

"Priscilla, I'm working as fast as I can. I can't treat Austin until I know what he's infected with."

"He was bitten by a mole rat. Isn't that sufficient information? How many diseases could a mole rat have?"

She waved off the young man irritably.

"Not now, Bobby. And you," catching sight of the three of them in the doorway, "you'll just have to wait your turn. We have an emergency on our hands."

"We heard. We came to see if there was anything we could do to help."

Bobby tried to interrupt again, louder this time.

"I know where Austin found the mole rat."

Dr Penske made a disgusted noise, prepared to brush him off again, but Dr Forsythe stopped her.

"All right, Bobby. Tell us what you know."

"That door that Austin found, he found it because of me. I hide my… stuff in there."

Dr Penske glared at him.

"You mean your chems, don't you?"

He hung his head. Dr Forsythe encouraged him to continue.

"He followed me in there. It's like a whole other vault in there. And I found this terminal not too far in where they talked about infecting mole rats with a whole bunch of diseases and using them to test cures."

Dr Forsythe looked puzzled.

"A secret vault?"

Dr Penske interrupted him.

"If they were working on cures, there may be a way to save Austin back there." She turned to Nora, Piper and Cait. "You offered to help. Did you mean it?"

"Yes, of course." Nora nodded. 

"Then go into that secret vault and find a cure for my boy. Please. Bobby will show you the way."

Nora nodded again and turned to the young man.

"Let's go then."

He nodded nervously and led them to the reactor room. 

"I work here. The door to the other vault is hidden over here." He stepped over to a wall panel that looked exactly like the others, kicked it in one corner, and it opened to reveal a short hallway with a door at the end of it.

"Stay here, Bobby." Nora told him. He made a face as if to say he hadn't intended to follow.

The three of them entered the secret doorway, with Cait muttering under her breath about do-gooders who just couldn't help themselves.

"I don't like this. Somethin's not right here."

"You mean other than killer mole rats, a hidden vault, and whatever the hell Vault-tec was planning here?"

Cait rolled her eyes and Nora and Piper grinned at her.

"Shut it, both of ye."

Nora's grin widened.

"OK, in all seriousness though, Cait's right. Mole rats may be the least of our worries, so guns out and eyes open. Yeah?"

The other two nodded and unholstered their weapons and they started working their way slowly through the abandoned and ruined hidden vault. After a few turns, Nora held up a hand. In the sudden silence, they could hear the whir of a turret rotating. Nora flattened herself against the wall and peeked around the corner. She drew back after a moment and turned back to Piper and Cait.

"Turret in the ceiling and a protectron beyond it. I'll deal with the turret, you two be ready for the protectron."

They nodded. Nora returned to the corner and went down on one knee. She took three quick shots, then had to draw back as the turret found her and started shooting. She waited until it emptied its clip and paused to reload, then leaned out again and took a couple more shots, destroying it. By this time, they could hear the protectron approaching. She pulled back and started reloading her pistol while Piper and Cait took their turn at the corner, leaning out carefully to take shots at the robot.

They continued along, dealing with a few more automated defenses. Eventually, they found themselves in a section where the floor tiles had either been destroyed, removed or never put in. The ground was dirt, and a short way into this section, they came across their first mole rat, dead.

They stepped carefully, trying not to disturb the creatures that were surely under their feet. They had nearly made it to a set of stairs before they felt the shaking that indicated the mole rats were on the move. They abandoned stealth and dashed for the staircase, trying to get above the beasts. They ranged themselves on one of the steps and started shooting. 

Whatever else might have happened to these particular mole rats, fortunately they weren't any harder to kill than the ordinary ones up on the surface. They quickly dealt with the half dozen animals that appeared, then paused for a few moments to make sure that was the last of them before continuing.

Nora turned aside every time they came across a terminal and read through the entries, Piper reading over her shoulder, and Cait huffing impatiently behind them and watching their backs. Eventually, they started finding wall-mounted terminals next to windows. The windows were crusted over with grime, but based on what they found in the terminal entries, they had been set up as viewing ports into the main vault.

They discovered that Vault-tec's purpose in Vault 81 had been to create a panacea, a cure for all known diseases. The mole rats had been bred as incubators of all these diseases, to be used in early phases of testing. In later phases, they had intended to infect the vault residents so they could test the cures on them. However, the original Overseer had rebelled at the idea of treating humans like guinea pigs without their knowledge or consent, and when the bombs fell, had not called in the scientists who were to have lived and worked in the hidden vault. Only three people had shown up on that side. The Overseer had feigned ignorance of why the rest of the crew hadn't made it, and had eventually cut off communications and access to the hidden vault, trapping the three.

They eventually came to a door locked via terminal. Nora accessed the terminal and tapped away for a few minutes before sighing. 

"No good. Beyond my abilities. Do either of you want to give it a try?"

Cait snorted.

"Fat lot of good, I'll do ye, tryin' that."

Piper grinned.

"I'll give it a try, but sometimes I can't even get my terminal at home to save, so not holding out much hope."

As she approached the terminal, Nora and Cait continued around the corner, to see if there was another way through.

"Shit!"

Piper's head whipped up and she dashed around the corner to find Nora and Cait surrounded by the largest pack of mole rats they had found so far. As she drew her weapon and started taking shots at the creatures, she saw Blue backpedaling from a group of three mole rats that were attacking her and trip over a crate. They were on her in a second. Piper shot the mole rat in front of her and ran towards Blue. Blue had managed to kill one of the mole rats. Piper stepped close and hit one of the remaining ones with the butt of her pistol, then shot it while it was dazed. By this time, Blue had managed to subdue the third beast. Piper looked around. That had been the last one.

"Crap."

She looked back at Blue and found her lying on her back, examining a tear in one of her sleeves.

"It got me."

Cait cursed creatively. Piper knelt next to Blue. 

"Any other injuries?"

Nora sat up and took inventory. She shook her head.

"Doesn't look like it. Just out of breath. We'd better keep going."

Piper offered her a hand to help her to her feet, and they continued along the passageway. In a room at the end, they found another terminal, and, luckily, the password for the terminal they had not been able to unlock. The retraced their steps and went through and up a set of stairs. Cait looked at the floor in some satisfaction.

"Proper floors. No dirt along here. Hopefully that means there won't be any of the little buggers up here."

At the top of the stairs, they found a sealed lab, and through one of the windows, they could see a Miss Nanny robot watching them.

"Oh, another stranger! Are you Vault-tec security? I have waited patiently for you to arrive."

Nora looked at Piper and Cait.

"Uh, no. We're here looking for a cure."

"Ah, the panacea. Yes. I am pleased to report that I completed my research 83 years ago. But in order to leave and give you the cure, I require verbal or written authorization."

"Oh. Um… yes, I am _so_ authorized."

"Superb! I will unlock the door for you."

They walked towards the door, which opened to reveal the robot floating in front of them.

"Thank you for releasing me from my confinement. Here is the cure. I must warn you that this is the only one available."

"Wait, there's only one?" Piper glanced at the tear in Blue's shirt.

"Yes, there used to be more, but they expired. Sadly, the organic compounds required to make more have all deteriorated."

Nora reached out to take the syringe. 

"Thanks for the cure… uh… what's your name?"

"My designation is Contagions Vulnerability Robotic Infirmary Engineer, but the scientists I worked with here called me Curie."

"OK, Curie. Thanks again. We need to head back to the other side of the vault now."

"If you don't mind, I will follow you out."

They left the lab and started to head back the way they'd come, but Curie called out to them.

"There is an elevator to the main level this way."

"Brilliant. We couldn't have come down this way and avoided all the wee beasties?"

"Non, it is only accessible from this direction."

Following Curie's directions, they took the elevator and found themselves in the vault's entryway. They quickly went back down to the residential area and to the clinic. Just before they reached the clinic, Cait reached out and put a hand on Nora's arm.

"Yer just gonna hand it over? Knowin' it's the only one? Ye should have just used it on yerself and told them ye couldn't find it."

Nora gave her a hard look.

"You really want me to leave a child to die, Cait?"

Cait looked away uneasily, then shook her head. Nora put a hand on her shoulder.

"The right choice isn't always the easy one, unfortunately."

She continued into the clinic. Dr Forsythe hurried over when he saw them.

"Any luck?"

Nora held out the syringe to him.

"Be careful. It's the only sample left."

"The only one? I would have preferred to be able to test it, but…"

He stopped short and reached for her arm, carefully pulling aside the torn fabric, then looking up at her.

"You said Austin was in grave danger because he's a child. I should have a better chance of fighting it off, right?"

He sighed and nodded.

"That doesn't mean it will be easy, or pleasant."

She glanced over at the boy, who appeared to be in a coma.

"Give it to him."

He nodded and approached Austin's bed, injecting the cure into the IV bag next to him. They stood around and waited. They were joined after a few minutes by the Overseer, who put an arm around Dr Penske's shoulders in an offer of support. After about five minutes, Austin stirred. Dr Forsythe examined him.

"His heart rate and temperature have started to drop towards normal."

There was a collective sigh of relief and the Overseer turned towards the three of them.

"Thank you. I know it's not much, but I'd like to offer you quarters in our vault. You'll be honorary residents and can come and go as you like. I'm afraid we only have the one spare room, so you'll have to share, but you are welcome here whenever you like."

They thanked her and started to head out, but Dr Forsythe pulled Nora aside.

"I would like you to take the Overseer up on her offer for at least a few days. I'd like to be able to keep an eye on you. I still don't know exactly what you and Austin have been infected with…"

"Oh, about that." Nora turned towards the doorway and gestured for Curie to come in. "This is Curie. She's the one who finally developed the cure, after the original three scientists died. She should be able to give you more information."

"Excellent! For starters, could you tell me what those mole rats were infected with? I'd like to know what we're dealing with."

Cure rattled off a long list of diseases. Nora grimaced as the list continued. Dr Forsythe swallowed hard and ran hand over his face.

"Well, the good news is that I've been vaccinated against at least a dozen of the things she mentioned."

He looked up in surprise.

"You have? Oh, of course, you mentioned…"

"Yeah, so… smallpox, chicken pox, rabies, measles, mumps, rubella, scarlet fever, polio, hepatitis, pneumonia, tetanus, whooping cough… um… one or two others, but I can't remember everything she said."

He nodded and made a few notes on a clip board. 

"Well, that should certainly help matters. But I'd still like you to stay with us until it runs its course."

Nora glanced at Piper, who rolled her eyes.

"Do you really want to have to try to explain this to Dr Sun?"

Nora winced.

"Point taken. OK, Dr, I'll stay."

"We'll stay. I'm not leaving you alone."

"Pipes, I don't want to get you sick too."

"Ah, non, that will not be a problem. The strains the mole rats were infected with are only transmitted via bodily fluids, such as blood and saliva. Therefore, as long as suitable precautions are taken, the risk of transmission is quite low."

"See? I'm staying."

Nora dug in her pocket and took out the key to Home Plate. She held it out to Cait. Cait stared at her.

"Yer not getting' rid of me. I'd probably be a terrible nurse, but I can fetch and carry and give her," she nodded towards Piper, "a rest every once in a while."

"OK, then, Doctor. I guess we're all staying."

It took a few hours for any symptoms to appear, but when they did, they hit her hard. For five days, she alternately burned and froze, as her fever spiked. She had several different rashes across her body, she became jaundiced, her joints ached, her head ached, her throat ached. At one point she was convinced her hair ached.

She woke on the fifth day feeling clear headed for the first time in what felt like a year. The past few days were foggy, but she had vague memories of Piper's worried face, of Cait hovering in the background, of Curie zooming in and out of the room.

She tried to sit up, but found that her muscles felt weak and shaky and couldn't support her weight. She turned her head and saw Piper sleeping in a chair next to the bed, Cait sprawled on the floor next to her with her head propped against Piper's knee. Nora shifted slightly and Piper came awake with a start. She looked exhausted.

"Blue?"

Her voice woke Cait, who groaned and started massaging her neck. Piper stood and moved to the bed. Cait sat on the chair she had vacated and yawned, leaning her elbows on her knees.

"Back among the living?"

Nora gave a little huff of laughter.

"More like death warmed over, but I think I'll make it." She cleared her throat. "Is there any water?"

Piper helped her sit up and gave her a can of purified water. 

"How long has it been? Everything's hazy."

"Five days."

" _Five days?_ What about Nat?"

"I sent Cait back to Diamond City with a message for Ellie after the first day."

"Oh, good." She shifted again. "Any chance of a bath or a shower? I feel all sticky and gross."

"Ye don't smell too sweet either."

Nora laughed.

"Thanks, Cait. You always know how to make a girl feel special."

The showers were on the opposite side of the vault. They got her to her feet and Piper steadied her as they walked over, with Cait trailing along behind carrying a stool, so she could sit for a few minutes and catch her breath every so often.

When they got there, Cait placed the stool in the shower stall, and Piper helped her clean up. She wrapped Nora up in an oversized bathrobe, paused with her hands on Nora's arms, then pulled her into a hug.

"I'm glad you're OK."

"Can't ye at least wait till ye're back in the room?"

Cait rolled her eyes, grabbed the stool and huffed off down the corridor. Nora watched her go in surprise.

"What's going on with her?"

Piper took Nora's arm and started leading her back to the room.

"She's been worried about you. I think it makes her irritable. She's never had anyone in her life that she cared enough about to worry about them, and she's not sure how to deal with it."

Nora gave Piper an affectionate smile.

"You are incredibly insightful, did you know that?"

Piper blushed and grinned. 

"I've also been listening to her mutterings for the past five days."

By the time they got back to the room, Cait was curled up fast asleep on a mattress on the floor. Piper led Nora to the chair next to the bed.

"Hold on a second. I'm going to change the sheets."

Nora nodded and picked up her pip boy, idly flipping through the screens. Piper turned to help her into bed, and found her staring blankly at the device.

"You OK, Blue?"

Nora looked up, stricken.

"I missed Shaun's birthday." She blinked back tears and looked down at the pip boy. "April 9th. He would have been a year old." She laughed bitterly and shook her head. "It's stupid. He's sixty, and I don't even know if he knows when he was born, or if they gave him a different birthday in the Institute, or if they even celebrate birthdays."

Piper knelt next to her, took the pip boy out of her hands and put it on the nightstand. She took Nora's hands and squeezed them gently.

"Hey, no. It's not stupid. Even though you found him, in a very real sense, you still lost your son. Of course you're going to grieve the milestones you missed out on."

Nora leaned forward and put her head on Piper's shoulder. Piper put her arms around her and held her tightly. Nora pulled back after a few minutes and smiled shakily.

"I guess it kind of took me by surprise."

Piper nodded.

"Grief's like that. It's been nearly ten years since my dad died, and there are still days when it hits me like it happened yesterday. And I only lost one person. I can only imagine what it must be like for you dealing with losing literally everyone." She cupped Nora's face with her hands. "I'm here for you, Blue, whether you need someone to hold you, or someone to scream about life's unfairness with, or anything in between."

Nora nodded and rested her forehead against Piper's.

"Thanks, Pipes."

When Nora leaned back again, Piper patted the bed and helped her up. 

"You hungry? Mrs Summerset, the lady who runs the cafeteria, has been really nice. She keeps bringing us more food than we know what to do with."

Nora nodded, so after helping her into the bed, Piper took a tray of food from the desk, put it on Nora's lap, and sat down next to her as she ate. She stole a piece of fried tato from the tray and leaned against Nora.

"Austin and Erin keep coming by to see if you're awake."

She yawned. Nora glanced at her.

"I think I've had enough for now. I could use some sleep. Keep me company?"

Piper nodded and took the tray back to the desk. When she lay down, Nora curled up against her back, slipped an arm around her waist, and they were both asleep within minutes.

\+ + +

It was another two days before Dr Forsythe declared she was strong enough to travel. Curie came to their room as they were collecting their things.

"Madame, may I travel with you?"

Nora blinked in surprise and glanced at Piper and Cait, who both looked as puzzled as she felt.

"Why do you want to come with us?"

"I wish to continue my research, but I require new data. I must see the rest of the Commonwealth, consult with scientists, challenge my hypotheses."

"Um… after the bombs, the Commonwealth is a little lacking in the science department."

"But surely there are still men of learning out there. And, if nothing else, there is data. I see you already have company, and I do not wish to intrude, but I must ask again, may I travel with you?"

"It's dangerous up there, Curie. Will you be able to look after yourself?"

"I have defensive capabilities. A laser. I can also administer medical aid when needed."

"Give us a moment, would you?"

"Of course."

She zoomed out of the room and Nora turned to Piper and Cait.

"What do you think?"

"If she's anythin' like Codsworth in a fight, she'll be fine. I don't mind havin' her along."

"And she's right about her medical knowledge. Every time you developed a new symptom she was in here within an hour or so with a treatment for it. I think she should come, if she wants to."

Nora nodded.

"OK, then." She raised her voice. "Curie?" The robot came back in.

"You have made a decision, madame?"

"You can come with us."

"Merveilleux!"

They made their way slowly back to Diamond City, with Curie commenting on nearly everything she saw along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's always bothered me that you don't have the ability to tell Dr Forsythe that you're not part of the general Commonwealth population. Talk about throwing off the poor man's research!


	54. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines make it home.

Piper sat on Blue's couch, notepad on her knee, the end of her pen between her teeth as she worked on the wording for her latest article. Blue was sitting next to her going through her pack, pulling out scrap she'd collected, replacing soiled spare clothes with fresh ones, restocking medical supplies, and generally cleaning up the mess it had turned into during their stay at Vault 81. Or at least, she had been. When Piper glanced over at her, she found her staring blankly down at the pack, hands motionless.

"Cap for your thoughts?" 

Blue jumped slightly and looked over at her. She gave her a half smile, which faded into a grimace.

"I was thinking that I've put it off long enough. I have to report back to Danse."

She let herself collapse onto her side so that her head was in Piper's lap, and sighed deeply. 

"This is my least favorite assignment so far. And I haven't even really started it yet."

Piper ran her fingers through Blue's hair, and watched her bemusedly, unsure what to say. Blue rolled onto her back so she could look up at Piper and smiled at her expression.

"I'm just venting. Makes me feel better if I can complain, even if there's nothing I can do about it."

"When are you going to go?"

"Tomorrow, I guess. Otherwise I'll just end up putting it off again."

Piper bit her lip.

"I don't like the idea of leaving Nat again so soon."

Nora sat up and turned to face her.

"I... was planning on going alone." She held up a hand to prevent the outburst she could see forming on Piper's lips. "I'm basing it on the assumption that the Brotherhood is like the military was pre-war. If that's the case, I doubt they'd let you come with me. You'd have to sit and wait at the police station." She raised an eyebrow. "With Rhys."

Piper rolled her eyes and smirked.

"And most of the route between here and the police station is regularly patrolled by the Minutemen from Greygarden and Hangman's Alley now. But if it really bothers you, I'll take Curie with me. She'll love meeting Haylen."

Piper nodded. 

"It does make me feel better. Thanks, Blue."

Blue scooted closer to her and curled up against her shoulder.

"Do you and Nat want to have dinner here tonight?"

Piper gave a self-deprecating laugh. 

"I don't think I dare let Nat eat your food."

Blue lifted her head looking offended. Piper grinned and tapped her nose playfully.

"Once she does, she won't want to eat _my_ cooking again." 

Blue settled back with a laugh. 

"I like your cooking. Those eggs were a unique taste sensation, and I love what you do with a bowl of Sugar Bombs."

Piper giggled and wrapped her arms around Blue.

"Silly."

Blue grinned smugly.

"And you like it. So… was that a no on dinner?"

"No, it was not a no. It was, in fact, a yes."

"In that case…" Blue pulled back, gave Piper a quick peck on the lips and stood up. "I need to get some supplies."

Piper stood as well.

"I'd better go tell Nat before she makes other plans."

Nora started down the hall and knocked on the first bedroom door, opening it when she heard a grunt from inside.

"You eating in tonight, Cait?"

"You cookin'?"

Nora nodded.

"We're having Piper's little sister over, so you'd have to watch your language, though."

"Well, shite."

Piper laughed and Nora smirked and raised an eyebrow at Cait. Cait grinned.

"Just getting' it out of me system before dinner."

"Curie, would you like to come with me to the Cambridge Police Station tomorrow?"

Cait and the robot had hit it off, and she'd been hovering in Cait's bedroom, trying not to set things on fire.

"Oui, madame. What will we find there?"

"There's a Brotherhood of Steel team camped out there. I have to go with the leader up to their ship, the Prydwen. They probably won't let you come with me up to the ship, but I'd like your company on the way, if you don't mind. And while I'm gone, you'll be able to chat with Scribe Haylen, one of their scientists."

"Ah, see madame? I knew there would be men of science still in the world."

"Women of science, Curie. Haylen is a woman. Anyway, I need to go get stuff for tonight's dinner."

She took Piper's hand and they walked out together, parting with a quick kiss at the door of Publick Occurrences. Nora left Diamond City and took the short walk down to Hangman's Alley to see if the settlers there had any excess produce to sell. She came away with a few nice-sized gourds and melons and a few ears of corn and made her way back to the stadium. She stopped off at Polly's for some meat.

"Hi, Polly. Have any brahmin today?"

The butcher shook her head.

"Fresh out. Got some radstag, though."

"Yeah, OK. Give me four steaks, please."

Polly handed over the meat wrapped in an old Boston Bugle, and Nora slid a handful of caps across the counter to her.

"Thanks, Polly."

She busied herself in the kitchen for about an hour until Piper and Nat arrived. Nat looked around the house wide-eyed. 

"It's so big!"

"Go look around, if you want. Oh, but hey…" Nora put a hand on her shoulder before she could dash away and pointed at the first bedroom down the hall. "Just stay out of that first room on the right. Someone lives there."

She nodded and went off to explore. They heard her gasp a few moments later.

"Piper! There's a shower!"

Piper grinned and stepped towards Nora.

"Anything I can do to help?"

Nora opened a drawer full of cutlery.

"Lay the table?"

Piper nodded and started pulling out knives and forks. She paused at the end of the table, her hands nervously adjusting and readjusting one of the place settings as she watched Nora.

"Hey, Blue? You know we talked about us moving in here? Eventually?"

Blue looked over from where she was watching over the searing steaks.

"Yeah."

"How would you feel about eventually being more like now?"

Blue moved the griddle off the heat and walked over to Piper.

"Not that I don't love the idea, but what's going on?"

"It's just… I nearly lost you, or at least, it felt like I was about to. Life out here is uncertain and dangerous. I don't want to miss a minute that we could be spending together."

Nora leaned in and kissed her.

"You can move in whenever you like."

Piper wrapped her arms around Blue's neck and kissed her again. They heard a noise of disgust.

"Ugh. Do you _have_ to do that?"

"I agree with the kid. D'ye have to do that?"

Nora started laughing as Piper buried her head against her shoulder.

"You realize there's going to be a lot more of that, don't you?" she whispered in Piper's ear, before kissing her lightly on the cheek and pulling away to return to the stove, still grinning.

"What are we eating?"

"Steak, gourds and corn."

Nora turned in time to see Nat grimace and Piper smack her arm lightly.

"You don't have to like it, but will you promise me to at least try one bite of each thing?"

Nat nodded and sighed. The meal was a cheerful one. Nat discovered that she actually liked Nora's roasted gourds and corn, and steak, of course, was steak. For dessert, Nora produced diced melons drizzled with mutfruit syrup, and the two sisters went into raptures over the sweet treat.

As the meal ended, Cait and Curie went back to her bedroom and Piper glanced questioningly at Nora with a nod towards Nat. Nora nodded.

"Hey, kiddo?"

Nat looked up from running her finger along the side of her bowl to get the last traces of syrup.

"How would you feel about us moving in here with Nora?"

She put her syrupy finger in her mouth and glanced between the two of them.

"Do I get the other bedroom?"

Nora nodded.

"When?"

Nora glanced at Piper.

"As soon as you'd like."

Nat stood up. 

"I'll go get my stuff."

They watched her go and Piper started laughing. 

"And here I thought she might be upset."

Nora put her arms around Piper.

"Welcome home, Pipes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I was planning on getting to the Prydwen in this section, but it just wasn't to be.


	55. The Prydwen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine visits a flying ship

At the last minute, Cait decided she wanted to come along too, and the three of them set out early. Curie still found the outside world endlessly fascinating, and commented on nearly everything she saw. The trip to the Cambridge police station was uneventful, and when they arrived, they found that the Brotherhood had sent reinforcements to hold the location. Nora looked around as they came into the fortified entryway. 

"If they give you any grief, you may want to head up to Greygarden to wait," she said to Cait in a low voice. "Actually, if I'm not back by evening, head there regardless. I think you'll be more comfortable in the Minutemen guesthouse than here, and I don't know how long they'll keep me this trip."

The redhead nodded, looking around warily, and they made their way into the station. 

"Good morning, Paladin Danse. I have the final report on Paladin Brandis."

"Excellent work, Knight. If you're ready to come with me to the Prydwen, you can make your report directly to Knight-Captain Kells."

"Just give me five minutes. My friend wanted to meet Scribe Haylen and trade medical knowledge with her."

He glanced at Cait dubiously.

"No, the robot, sir."

He blinked in surprise.

"She has specialized programming."

"Very well. I'm sure Haylen would be interested in any new information it can give her."

Nora led Curie to where Scribe Haylen was entering a report on a terminal and introduced them, chatting with the young woman for a few moments before excusing herself and leaving them to it. She paused in front of Cait on her way back to Danse.

"You'll be OK?"

"We'll be fine. I'll look out for her."

Nora smiled. 

"Thanks, Cait."

She rejoined Paladin Danse and he led her up to the roof of the station. When they entered the vertibird, he handed her a pair of headphones and assigned her to the door-mounted minigun, instructing her to use it if they were attacked.

Nora looked around in fascination as the vertibird took off. Though some of the damage was still obvious, from a height, the Commonwealth looked more like the Boston she remembered. She forgot about the minigun and just looked around, making note of various landmarks. There was the Bunker Hill monument, gleaming in the early light. There was… she did a double-take… was that the USS Constitution perched on top of a building? What the…? OK, she was definitely going to have to look into that at a later date.

She suddenly realized that Danse had been talking in her headset during the entire trip, but she'd been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard a word he'd been saying. 

As she finally started focusing on his words, she heard him say, "cleansing the Commonwealth is our duty and I will gladly spill my own blood if it ensures our victory." She shuddered. She had thought the Brotherhood were traditional military, but the longer she spent with Danse, the more she feared they were exactly the types of fanatics that had destroyed the world once already.

They docked with the Prydwen not long after this. They made their way down the flight deck and into the interior of the ship, to the bridge. Danse saluted and Nora found old habits coming back as she automatically stood to attention in front of a superior officer.

"Permission to come aboard, sir!"

The officer in question was an older dark-skinned man, and he turned an approving look on Danse, and a dubious one on Nora.

"Permission granted, and welcome back, Paladin. Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on a successful mission. And is this our new recruit?"

"Yes, sir. I would like to sponsor her entry into our ranks personally and recommend she be granted the rank of Knight."

The man nodded.

"You'll be pleased to know that Elder Maxson's approved your request, and placed the recruit in your charge. Your current orders are to remain on the Prydwen and await further instructions." 

"Very good, sir. Ad Victoriam, Captain."

"Ad Victoriam, Paladin." 

Danse saluted, right fist pressed to his chest, and left the bridge, leaving Nora with the Captain, who eyed her up and down unfavorably. 

"So, you're the one Paladin Danse has taken under his wing." He raised an eyebrow. "You don't look much like a soldier to me." 

"Appearances can be deceiving, sir. I have two years of military experience, though it was nearly a decade ago." 

He looked at her askance.

"In what unit did you serve?"

"I served in Anchorage, under Commander Nelson."

He frowned.

"I do not appreciate your sense of humor, recruit."

"Sir, with respect, it was not a joke. I was born before the bombs fell, and was cryogenically frozen in a vault until a few months ago."

His eyes widened, and he looked at her more closely. Finally he nodded.

"At ease, recruit." He paused to get his bearings. "Paladin Danse seems to think you'll make a fine addition to the Brotherhood. You might expect an endorsement like that to grant you a great deal of latitude with us, but let me make one thing clear. The Brotherhood of Steel has traveled to the Commonwealth with a specific goal in mind. As the captain of this vessel, I won't allow anyone to jeopardize our mission, no matter how valuable they think they are. Understood?"

"Understood, sir. Permission to ask a question, sir."

"Granted."

"What is the Brotherhood's mission here?"

He looked at her for a moment, then sighed.

"All I can tell you is that we're here directly in response to the data that Danse's recon team provided us. Beyond that, you'll just have to wait until Elder Maxson addresses the crew. To that end, please report to the command deck, one level above us. Any other questions?"

"It's not a question, sir. I have a report to make. Paladin Danse assigned me to find out what became of Paladin Brandis' team."

"And what did you find?"

She explained that the whole team, with the exception of the Paladin, had died, and that she had convinced him to make his way to the Boston Airport to rejoin the Brotherhood. She handed over the holotapes she had collected. He thanked her and gave her a reward chit she could redeem with the quartermaster, then dismissed her to join the rest of the crew for Elder Maxson's address. Nora replicated Danse's salute and left the bridge, joining a group of crew members milling around the command deck waiting for the Elder. She stood to attention when she saw the others do so, and watched in surprise, as a very young man, surely no more than twenty or twenty-two, walked to the front of the room and started talking. This boy was the supreme leader of the Brotherhood?

It seemed that the lower levels of the crew had not been informed of the Brotherhood's mission in the Commonwealth before arriving. This was the first time they were hearing about it. He spoke of the Institute and the synths they were creating, and Nora's blood ran cold as she heard Danse's fanaticism echoed in this young man. All synths were considered abominations and enemies of the Brotherhood, to be killed on sight. The Institute was to be utterly destroyed. She shivered.

She saluted mechanically with the rest of the crew as he finished his speech. She made to leave, but he called her over. She stepped towards him, and he turned to look out over the Commonwealth, through the command deck's windows. He spoke once all the other crew members had left the area.

"I care about them, you know. The people of the Commonwealth."

Nora hesitated for a moment, then decided to take a gamble.

"If you care about them, why are you about to unleash war in their midst?"

He turned to look at her and raised his chin almost defiantly.

"The Brotherhood is here to prevent a war by starting one of our own."

She barely prevented herself from rolling her eyes.

"They didn't ask for your help."

"The Institute needs to be stopped."

She did her best to maintain a respectful demeanor and an even tone of voice. She had the sense that, if he caught even the slightest hint of disrespect, he would dismiss her out of hand.

"I'm not arguing that, sir, but I disagree that total annihilation is the way to go, and I speak as someone who has a vested interest in making them pay."

He looked at her questioningly.

"The Institute kidnapped my son, used him as…" she paused, biting back what she'd been about to say – used him as the pattern for the human-like synths – there was such a thing as too much information. "…they used him as a test subject. He's lost to me, and I want them to pay for that, but I don't think killing everyone in there is the solution. The world is not black and white, right or wrong. Believe me when I tell you that it's attitudes like that that destroyed civilization the first time round. The science was just the tool." 

He looked at her for a long moment.

"Despite your attitude, Paladin Danse still holds that you'd be an asset to the Brotherhood. Seeing as he's one of my most respected field officers, you couldn't get a better recommendation. Therefore, from this moment forward, I'm granting you the rank of Knight. Befitting your rank, you will receive a full set of power armor to protect you on the field of battle. Report to Paladin Danse for your next assignment. Dismissed, Knight. Ad Victoriam."

"Ad Victoriam, Elder."

She saluted and left the command deck. She paused in the stair well and looked around, wondering where she was supposed to go next. She saw a scribe working nearby and asked her where she could find Danse and was pointed to a ladder leading upwards.

The ladder led to a space that spanned the full width and length of the ship, broken up into various levels and rooms. She found Danse in the mess hall and he instructed her to spend some time getting to know the ship and the ranking officers – Knight-Captain Cade, the chief medical officer; Proctor Ingram, the chief engineer; Proctor Quinlan, the chief scribe; and Proctor Teagan, the quartermaster. He offered to come with her, but she turned him down, figuring that she wouldn't make the best first impression if she had a babysitter at her back.

Cade gave her a brief medical questionnaire, which gave her a bit more insight into the Brotherhood's tenets. One of the questions had been 'have you ever had sexual relations with any species considered non-human?' Since they had already established that she had been a vault-dweller, she traded on her supposed ignorance of the Commonwealth and asked him which species he was referring to and learned that, in addition to synths, the Brotherhood also considered non-feral ghouls to be non-human.

Proctors Quinlan and Teagan seemed most interested in getting her assistance on various projects, as time allowed. Proctor Ingram was the only one who seemed at all friendly, if frazzled and overworked. She had obviously been badly injured at some point in the past, and had been fitted into a specialized power armor frame, which allowed her to walk, despite her missing legs.

Having met with all of them, as well as Scribe Neriah, who apparently was attempting to synthesize an improved radiation treatment using mole rats, she returned to Danse.

"Elder Maxson has an assignment for us. We are to report to him on the flight deck. You should get into your power armor before we head up there."

Maxson's assignment was to clear a nest of super mutants out of Fort Strong, on the next peninsula over. They had reports that the armory was full of fat man nukes, and the Brotherhood was keen to both keep them out of the hands of the super mutants, and add them to their own arsenal.

Nora sighed internally. She couldn't understand how people could have lived with all this destruction their whole lives and still want to use some of the same weapons that caused it.

They were assigned a vertibird to carry them to Fort Strong, and Danse once again ordered her to the minigun, and this time she didn't hesitate to use it as they approached the fort. One of the super mutants was three or four times larger than the rest, and she focused on it, while Danse shot at the normal-sized ones with his laser pistol. With the mutants dead, the vertibird landed and they made their way towards the armory.

Nora paused by the corpse of the huge super mutant.

"I've never seen one this big."

"We call them Behemoths."

She laughed.

"Fitting."

Inside the armory they found another half dozen super mutants on the main level, and several more on the armory level. As much as she disliked wearing power armor, it did make the job a lot easier.

Once they were all dead, Danse instructed her to return to the Prydwen and report their success to Elder Maxson.

Maxson congratulated her on a successful first mission.

"Our latest intelligence tells us you've infiltrated the Institute. You've secured passage to and from their facility, which was one of our primary goals. Since you've unexpectedly accelerated our plans, I now have two missions for you to complete. First and foremost, report to Proctor Ingram. She will give you instructions for accessing their database and retrieving information. Secondly, we believe that a Doctor Madison Li is working with the Institute. She was once a Brotherhood asset in the Capital Wasteland. She was a civilian, not a Brotherhood Scribe, and after a disagreement, she chose to leave. If she is still alive and is at the Institute, I need you to try to convince her to return to the Brotherhood. We have a project underway that could use her expertise. Any questions?"

"No, sir."

"Dismissed, then."

Nora returned to the power armor bay and gladly climbed out of the steel cage, then went to find Ingram.

Ingram explained that she was writing a program that would scan the Institute's database and download their data to a holotape. Nora interrupted her.

"I may already have what you need. I left it with a friend to try to get it decrypted. I'll need to get it back from them. Give me a few days and I'll bring it to you."

Ingram seemed relieved to have one less task on her plate and agreed.

After a bit of asking around, Nora discovered there was a troop transport leaving for the Cambridge police station shortly and took the opportunity to get a ride back. It was nearly dawn when she reached Greygarden. Cait was fast asleep in the guesthouse on the overpass. Nora made some breakfast and greeted Cait and Curie when they came out a short while later.

She listened with a half smile as Curie told her about everything she had learned from Haylen and the conversations she had had with the Greygarden robots. Cait rolled her eyes, but there was a look of fondness on her face.

"She's been goin' non-stop."

They left for Diamond City as soon as they finished breakfast. Nora smiled through her tiredness when she walked into Home Plate and found new little touches here and there – a little potted plant on a bookshelf, a teddy bear on the couch – that spoke of Piper and Nat's presence.

She heard humming from upstairs and made her way up the steps to find Piper arranging some things in one of the dresser drawers. She came up quietly behind her and slipped her arms around her waist.

"Hey."

Piper jumped a little, then relaxed and turned, smiling, to hug her.

"How'd it go?" She looked at her in concern. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. I just didn't get any sleep last night. I wanted to get home."


	56. Time At Home

"Whatcha doing?"

Nora looked up from her workbench to find Nat's head and shoulders poking out of the trapdoor. She smiled and held out a hand inviting Nat to join her. She had slept for a couple of hours after getting home, and then gone to Railroad Headquarters to report her progress in infiltrating the Brotherhood of Steel, and to ask Tom to make her a copy of the holotape she had given him after returning from the Institute. After getting home, she had decided to go up to her workshop. Being on the Prydwen had left her feeling tense and she needed to unwind for a while.

"I'm building a desk for your sister."

Nat came to stand next to her and looked appraisingly at the pieces of wood in front of them.

"Doesn't really look like a desk."

Nora grinned.

"No, it doesn't, does it? It's still in pieces. I'm going to put it together inside, because it won't fit through the trap door otherwise."

"What's this?"

Nat pointed to a tool resting near Nora's hand. Nora picked it up and showed it to her. 

"It's called a router. I'm using it right now to round off the edge of the desk. D'you want to try it?"

Nat's eyes brightened and she nodded eagerly.

"OK. Safety first."

Nora reached into the tool cabinet next to her and pulled out an old pair of plain glass glasses, a pair of leather gloves and a set of broken headphones with the wire cut off.

"Put these on."

Nat looked at her dubiously for a moment, until she realized that Nora was wearing similar gear already, her headphones dangling on the back of her neck. She put them on without complaint, though the gloves were a bit big for her, letting her headphones dangle in a similar manner.

Nora picked up the router again and held it in front of her.

"This part here is called the bit. It's what cuts the wood. This little wheel at the end of the bit rests against the wood like this, see? It keeps the bit from digging in too deep and cutting too much. And this is the power button." She turned it on, let it run for a few seconds, then turned it back off. "So what you do is, you turn it on, hold it against the edge of the piece of wood, like this, and then move it in this direction." She pointed. "Only in this direction, because that's the way the teeth of the bit are facing. If you try to pull it in the other direction, it'll chew the wood up and it won't look nice. Other than that, just keep this guard flat on the surface of the wood. OK?"

Nat gulped and nodded uncertainly. Nora smiled.

"Want me to help you on the first side?"

Nat nodded.

"OK, headphones on."

She put her own on and waited till the girl had done likewise, handed Nat the router, turned it on and guided her movements with one hand over the girls's smaller hands. As they reached the end of the board, she turned the router off, and pulled her headphones back down to her neck. She watched Nat with a smile as the girl traced a finger along the newly smoothed and rounded edge. 

"Pretty cool, huh?"

Nat pulled her own headphones off and nodded enthusiastically.

"You said I could do the other side by myself?"

"Yup. Let's get the board turned around."

Nat held the board while Nora loosened the clamps, helped her turn it and then held it again while she re-tightened them.

"How come you have those bits of wood under the holdy thing?"

Nora grinned.

"The holdy thing is called a clamp. And the bits of wood are so it won't leave marks on the good wood. See?" She loosened the clamp a little and pulled out the scrap, showing Nat the indentation the clamp had left in it.

"Could we make something for me later, after this is done?" she asked hesitantly.

Nora smiled.

"Sure. What would you like? Something for your room?"

Nat stopped to think. 

"Somewhere to put my comic books?"

Nora nodded.

"Very important. Do you just want somewhere to store them, or would you like to be able to see them?"

"I want to be able to see them."

Nora nodded again.

"OK. We'll work on that after the desk is finished."

Nat grinned delightedly and they went back to work. 

Piper got back from Publick Occurrences about an hour later and found the house deserted. Walking up the steps to her and Nora's room, she thought she heard voices on the roof and climbed the ladder to the trapdoor. She stopped with her head poking out of the hole and watched Nat and Nora working for a few minutes. She felt a lump form in her throat as she saw the gentle way Nora was guiding her, and the near adoration in her little sister's eyes. 

"Nicely done, Nat." Nat beamed. "Now we need to let it dry."

Piper swallowed hard a couple of times, then pulled herself the rest of the way out of the trapdoor.

"Hey, you two. What are you up to?"

Nat bounded over to her and Piper ran a hand through her hair, dislodging a dusting of sawdust.

"Nora's been teaching me how to be a carpenter. And later we're gonna make a shelf for my comic books, right, Nora?"

Nora grinned at her and slipped an arm around Piper's waist as she joined them.

"Right. But I think it's probably about dinner time right now."

"Even if it isn't, I'm hungry."

"Me too. We've been working hard."

Nat turned to Piper. 

"Can we have noodles tonight?"

"Sure, kiddo. Go wash your hands. We'll be down in a minute."

As Nat left, Piper turned to Nora, kissed her tenderly and pulled her into a hug,

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. What for?"

Piper gave a little laugh and pulled back enough to be able to see Nora.

"Most people I tried to be with before saw Nat as an inconvenience to be tolerated, at best, and I don't want to talk about 'at worst'. You're the first to treat her like a real person, to actually care about her." She felt the lump forming in her throat again, and looked down as tears started prickling her eyes. "I guess I'd given up hoping I'd find someone who could love us both."

Nora put a hand on the side of her face and traced a thumb against her cheek.

"She matters to you, Pipes, so she matters to me."

She kissed Piper's forehead and pulled her back into the hug. They stood there for a long moment, before Piper pulled away, sniffling but smiling and wiped her eyes.

"We'd better get down there before she gets impatient and comes looking for us."


	57. Memory Interrupted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines clear a path

Nora, Piper and Cait were sitting around the table finishing breakfast, with Curie hovering at the end of the table. Nat had already left for school, and the three were lingering over their coffees, when there came a knock on the front door. Nora got up, walked to the little entryway, opened the door a crack, blinked then opened it the rest of the way.

"Deacon?"

"Mornin', sorry to interrupt. There's been an emergency, and Des sent me to get you."

She nodded. 

"OK. Come on in."

She closed the door behind him and led him through to the kitchen.

"Piper, Cait."

Piper nodded a greeting. Cait, who had never met him before, blinked at him in surprise. Nora grinned at her expression.

"He's a professional busybody, Cait." He bowed as though she'd given him a compliment. "Give me five minutes to get my gear. Help yourself to a cup of coffee while you wait."

She headed upstairs, with Piper following behind.

"What's going on, Blue?"

"Not sure. Some sort of emergency. Des sent him to get me."

Piper nodded and grabbed her pack and her pistol. Nora looked at her in surprise. Piper grinned.

"It's not that I don't trust him to watch your back. It's just that I trust me more."

Nora laughed and gave her a quick squeeze, before going back to attaching the pieces of her combat armor. In slightly less than five minutes, they came back down the stairs to find Deacon chatting amicably with Curie, while Cait glowered in the background.

"OK, let's go."

He nodded, bolted the last of his coffee and followed them out.

\+ + +

They found Desdemona in conference with Dr Carrington and PAM. Des looked up as they entered and waved Nora over.

"Eighty-six. Good. How do you feel about getting thrown back into the fire?"

"I'm on a first-name basis with fire."

The cocky tone of voice made Piper roll her eyes. Des raised an eyebrow.

"You're in the right line of work, then. We've hit a snag with Dr Amari."

Nora blinked in surprise.

"Amari from the Memory Den in Goodneighbor?"

Desdemona nodded.

"You've met her, then? She plays a vital role in our organization. Synths who choose to have a memory wipe, go to the Memory Den to get a new set of memories, then they move out. But her latest patient is stuck there. The runner's route has been compromised and we're looking for options."

"Tell me about the options."

"We're trying to come up with another route that leads to the proper destination." She paused. "Maybe… PAM, what if we re-route through Lexington?"

"The Switchboard is a nexus of Institute activity. Odds of detection increase exponentially with proximity to the nexus."

Desdemona pinched the bridge of her nose and gave an exasperated sigh.

"In English, PAM."

Doctor Carrington spoke up before PAM could answer.

"She means we can't run ops anywhere remotely near Switchboard. The Gen 1s blocking the original route have to go."

Nora frowned.

"Why is taking out the Gen 1s our Plan B?"

Carrington looked pointedly at Desdemona.

"Excellent question."

Des rubbed her forehead.

"Assaulting an entrenched Institute position is always risky. I don't want to put one of our best agents in harm's way unless it's necessary." She stopped for a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "Go to Dr Amari and tell her re-routing isn't possible. You're there to clear the route for one last run. There's a lot at stake here, so get the job done. And don't get killed, Eighty-six."

Nora nodded and left PAM's alcove, pulling Deacon aside as they entered the main chamber.

"You on a job right now?"

"I'm free as a bird, my friend."

"Want to come with? We could use the extra gun."

"Let's go then."

\+ + +

Doctor Amari was working on a terminal at the rear of the Memory Den. She looked up as they approached, and smiled to see them.

"Welcome back. How goes the quest to find your son?"

Nora faltered.

"Oh… I… I found him. But it's been a lot longer than I thought since he was taken. He's an old man now."

"I am sorry to hear that. Then what brings you…"

"Sorry, thought I saw someone I knew." Deacon jogged into the room to join Nora and Piper. Doctor Amari glanced between the three of them and lowered her voice.

"You're the contact H2 was talking about?"

Nora nodded. Amari shook her head.

"Just when I thought one person could only experience so much danger in their life. Well, the patient is resting right now. He spoke a great deal about you." She indicated a little table next to her terminal. "He left you a message."

Nora saw a holotape on it and put it in her pocket.

"So, what's the plan for moving him?"

Nora hesitated and glanced at Deacon.

"It's probably best if you don't know the details. I just need to know about the original route."

"I understand… It's Malden Metro Center. H2-22's future is in your hands."

"Thanks, doc."

\+ + +

They approached Malden Metro Center quietly. They had seen evidence of super mutants at the nearby hospital, and didn't want to attract their attention.

"The good news is," Nora muttered, just loud enough for Piper and Deacon to hear her, "that the Gen 1s shouldn't attack us on sight, since I'm currently on good terms with the Institute. If we can take them out quickly and quietly, without alerting the groups further in, we should have a relatively easy time of it."

They nodded. Nora stopped, holding up a hand.

"Is that… a minigun?"

They came round the corner just as the minigun spun down, to see Glory standing over the remains of two Gen 1 synths. The white-haired synth started laughing when she saw them.

"Don't tell me we got assigned the same damn job? I guess that's what happens with all our compartmentalization bullshit. I got sent here by Griswold Safehouse. You?"

"Goodneighbor." She grinned. "Hey, maybe we should call for more backup."

Glory chuckled. 

"Yeah, get that candy-assed Carrington out here. I'd pay money to see that. Well, since we're both here, what do you say the two heavies join forces and rock the heavens a little."

Nora hesitated.

"Uh, you do know what we're up against?"

Glory shrugged. 

"We're clearing the place out."

"Yeah, but…" Nora gestured to the two Gen 1s at her feet. Glory grimaced.

"Aww, hell." She sighed. "Well, if it's gotta be done… I've been wanting to see you in action, so if you want to team up…"

Nora smiled.

"Let's do it."

"Lead the way, my friend."

As Nora had predicted, the synths didn't attack them on sight. With the four of them working together, they were able to destroy each little pocket of synths without alerting the ones further in. 

As they approached the train tracks, they started hearing the sounds of a fire fight, and glancing through an opening, they saw a handful of synths fighting a gang of raiders. Glory stood and hefted her minigun, but Nora put a hand on her arm. 

"Hold up. They're doing our work for us. Might as well, let them finish and then we can mop up whatever's left."

Glory gave a low laugh.

"So is this how you got your reputation? Letting others do most of the fighting and then stepping in at the last minute?"

Nora grinned, unabashed.

"Hey, why waste ammo when you don't have to."

Glory shrugged.

"Not exactly my style, but whatever works."

In another few moments, the last two synths took out the last of the raiders. Nora and Glory stepped out of the alcove, took aim and took out the two synths. Glory looked around.

"And Malden is secure. I'll tell Griswold the package is incoming." She gave Nora a little salute. "It's been a god-damned pleasure." She glanced over at Deacon. "Even you, D-man."

Deacon grinned. 

"So… group hug? Yes? No?"

The three women looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Nora clapped Glory on the shoulder.

"The pleasure was all mine. Be safe, Glory."


	58. Emergent Behavior

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a friend undergoes a radical change.

"Mesdames, may I speak to you?"

Nora and Piper looked up at Curie from where they were sitting on the couch.

"Sure, what's up, Curie?"

"I have spent much time gathering information in our travels so far. And my self-diagnostics have come to a grim conclusion. It is not lack of data or lack of collaboration which stifles my scientific progress. The inescapable truth is there has never been a great robot scientist."

"But you've only just begun, Curie," Piper interjected.

"I have learned enough to recognize my fundamental limitations. The greatest scientific minds of history, the Einsteins, the Curies, my namesake, have had something beyond raw data analysis capabilities. They have had a spark. This elusive inspiration is something I must possess."

Nora frowned.

"I don't think you can just program up some inspiration."

"You are quite correct. If I am to advance my understanding of medicine in this strange world, I must embark on a great adventure. I must become human, or as close as I can. I must find a way to download all that I am into a human brain."

Nora and Piper looked at each other in shock, then turned to Cait, who'd been standing nervously behind Curie all this time. The redhead raised her hands defensively.

"Don't look at me. It wasn't my idea! I barely understand half of what she goes on about. I just told her to talk to you."

Nora stood and walked towards the robot.

"Is… is that even possible?"

"Who is to say? There were great advances made before the war in cognition and memories. Surely there is someone who can help. Or at least point us in the right direction."

Nora turned to look at Piper.

"Do you think…? Maybe Amari…"

Piper shrugged, still looking a bit shocked.

"If anyone would know about something like this, it's probably her."

Nora turned back to Curie.

"We know someone who might be able to help."

"Please, then. We must go to her and talk."

If a robot could be said to plead, Curie was pleading. Nora sighed.

"OK, then. Off to Goodneighbor."

\+ + +

Doctor Amari looked up in surprise as they entered her lab in the Memory Den.

"I didn't expect to see you again. Our friends came to collect the patient already."

"We're here on a different matter. My friend needs your help."

She gestured towards Curie, who approached them. Amari looked at her in surprise.

"I am not a mechanic. What could she possibly want from me?"

"Greetings, Doctor. I wish to download my data and core programming into a human brain."

Dr Amari looked at her in shock, then turned to Nora and Piper. Nora raised her arms defensively, unconsciously mimicking Cait's earlier gesture.

"Don't look at me. This is her idea!"

Amari turned back to Curie.

"Why do you wish to do this?"

"I was programmed to further our studies of disease, pathogens and viruses. I cannot do this with the fundamental limitations of my robotic systems. If I become human, with the wealth of information in my databanks I hope to do much good for the Commonwealth."

Dr Amari looked between Curie and the three women thoughtfully, not really seeming to see them.

"I've never considered anything like your proposing. It's an interesting problem. The memories wouldn't be hard. We translate those from the brain to computers and back all the time here. It's how the Loungers work. Her personality, though? All the extra pieces of robotic, programmed decision-making? A normal, organic brain wouldn't know what to do with them." She paused tapping a finger against her lips. "A synth brain, on the other hand… Well, it's already somewhere between the two…"

She looked at Nora, pleased with her solution. Nora's eyes widened.

"You're not suggesting… I won't kill a synth!"

Amari waved off her objection.

"No, no. I wasn't suggesting anything of the kind. Allow me to explain. You know about the mind wipes I perform on the synths, yes?" Nora and Piper nodded. "The procedure is not always successful. If something goes wrong, it can leave them in a brain dead state. Living, but with no cognition. I know the caretaker for one such synth. If they are willing, we could try transferring your friend's consciousness into her."

Nora turned to Curie.

"Yes, please. I would like this very much."

"We'd like to try, Doctor."

Amari nodded. 

"Very well. Give me a day to get in contact with them. I think they'll hear me out."

It was still relatively early, so Nora, Piper and Cait headed back to Diamond City for the night. Curie was so excited that she had chosen to stay at the Memory Den, so she could be ready for the procedure at a moment's notice.

Once back home, Nora enlisted Cait and Piper's assistance to assemble an extra bed frame from her stash of scraps, in anticipation of a successful procedure. 

"Hold on, Blue. We could just move my old bed over from Publick Occurrences, couldn't we?"

Nora rewarded her with a delighted smile, and between the three of them, they quickly moved the bed over. Cait's room felt a lot more crowded with an extra bed in it, but she insisted on continuing to share it with Curie.

When they returned the next day, they found a dark-haired young woman lying in one of the two memory loungers in Amari's lab, and standing next to her, was Glory. Nora blinked in surprise.

"Glory?"

Glory turned sharply and frowned.

"You're the one that wants to put a robot brain in G5-19? You know she's a synth. We're supposed to protect them."

"We don't want to hurt her, Glory. I was told she had wanted a new set of memories?"

Doctor Amari interjected.

"It's true, Glory, she wanted new memories. She knew her personality would be all but erased. These are just different memories. Perhaps better ones."

Nora walked up to Glory.

"What would G5 have wanted?"

Glory sighed.

"She was scared. Terrified the Institute would find her and send her back. I tried to convince her she could live free, as herself. But she didn't listen."

"The G5 you knew is gone, but what's left of her could help others."

Glory nodded.

"I think she would have liked that." She sighed again. "Fine, do it, before I change my mind. I'll... be out front. I don't want to watch."

Nora squeezed Glory's arm gratefully as she passed, then turned back to Doctor Amari. Amari explained that G5 had already been prepped, and they could begin immediately. She connected Curie to her terminal, and gave her several commands, then muttered to herself as she worked. Nora, Piper and Cait looked on nervously, glancing between the robot, the doctor and the synth.

After a few minutes, the robot fell lifeless to the ground, and the synth took a deep, gasping breath.

"I... I... my chest! What is happening?" The voice had Curie's French accent, but was softer, and was on the point of panic.

Doctor Amari spoke reassuringly.

"Just breathe. It's an autonomic function. Just let your body do what it must."

The lounger's canopy started to lift, and the young woman looked around wide-eyed. Nora walked over and crouched next to her.

"How are you feeling, Curie?"

"I feel... so strange." She lifted her hands in front of her face, then gasped, and pulled at the fabric of her shirt. "So many sensations. Everything looks and sounds different."

"Very good," said Doctor Amari. "Let us test some cognitive functions. What is 1+2?"

"Three."

As Amari continued asking Curie basic questions, Cait hesitantly approached the lounger. Nora let Cait take her spot next to Curie and rejoined Piper a few steps away. Curie started to get out of the lounger and Cait offered her a hand. She gasped and pulled away after the briefest touch and Cait recoiled.

"Sorry, touch is so overwhelming, that I feel my heart beating in my chest." She took a few deep breaths. "I think I am prepared for the sensation now." She held her hand out to Cait, who took it with uncharacteristic gentleness and helped her out of the chair.

"The operation appears to have been successful. But I think it will take a lot of adjustment for your new friend." She looked between the three of them. "She will need your help to make the transition."

Curie turned to her.

"Thank you, Doctor, for this opportunity." 

They walked slowly out of the lab. Glory was sitting near the front entrance and stood when she saw them approaching. Curie stopped in front of her.

"Thank you, madame, for allowing me to use your friend's body."

Glory gulped and nodded, before turning abruptly and walking out of the Memory Den. They followed her at a slower pace and made their way to the Rexford. Though it was still early, they had decided to stay in Goodneighbor for the night to give Curie some time to adjust to her new body before making the trip back to Diamond City.


	59. From Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine recruits a scientist.

Nora carefully packed a number of small weapons into her pack, wrapping them in pieces of clothing and layering them carefully, so they wouldn't make noise and wouldn't be noticeable from the outside of the pack. She was heading back to the Institute to speak with Doctor Li, and as she had done on her last several trips back to report on minor tasks she had been set, was smuggling in a small load of weapons for Z1-14 and the upcoming synth rebellion. 

She walked down the stairs to find Piper waiting for her.

"I shouldn't be gone long this time. I hope."

She put down her pack and Piper pulled her into a tight hug.

"Be careful."

"I will, I promise."

"Ye're off, then?"

Nora turned to see Cait and Curie watching them.

"Yeah. You two have anything interesting planned for today?"

"Nah, just thought we'd go explorin' around town, get her used to bein' around more people and sounds. Maybe try some new foods."

"Have fun then."

Nora turned back to Piper.

"Walk me out?"

Piper nodded and they walked out hand in hand. They parted with a kiss just inside the gates of Diamond City, and Piper watched her out of sight. As she turned to go back in, she saw Danny Sullivan watching her. He blushed and looked away, then glanced back.

"Hell of a woman, Piper. You're pretty lucky."

She smiled. She'd always liked Danny, even after he became a guard.

"Yeah, I am."

\+ + +

"Do you have a moment, Doctor Li?"

The scientist looked up impatiently, then sighed, and nodded.

"If you must."

Nora entered her lab, but stopped suddenly when she saw the child synth standing motionless in the corner of the lab. Doctor Li followed her gaze.

"Shaun asked me to… reprogram him."

Nora tore her eyes away from the boy, and turned to press the button that closed the door to Dr Li's lab, before walking slowly towards him. She stopped in front of him and reached a hand out to touch his face, then pulled back, hugging her arms across her chest.

"Even when he was a baby he looked like Nate. It's much more noticeable at this age."

She cleared her throat and swiped a hand across suddenly damp eyes. She turned to find Dr Li watching her uncomfortably.

"Shaun said he was going to be… rebooted?"

Dr Li raised an eyebrow. 

"Reawakened is a more accurate term. He's in a sort of medically induced coma at the moment. Though I'm sure my colleagues out there would much prefer your term."

Nora looked at the scientist in surprise. Her tone had been dry and cutting.

"Are you happy here, Madison?"

Dr Li glanced at her sharply, but didn't otherwise object to the use of her given name. She looked at Nora for a moment, then sighed.

"I thought I would be, when I first came here nearly ten years ago. But now…"

"Now?"

"I've dedicated my life to helping people. My greatest project, what I considered my life's achievement at the time, was to cleanse the water in the Capital Wasteland and make it freely available to the people. My team and I succeeded, after many years and many sacrifices, only to see the project taken over by the Brotherhood of Steel."

Nora blinked.

"They tried to recruit me, and I did help them for a while." She frowned. "But, though their leader in the Capital Wasteland was a good man, they remained an army, interested most in killing and destroying. That was why I left the Capital Wasteland and came here."

Nora watched her silently. She seemed eager to unburden herself, so Nora just let her talk.

"When I first arrived, I was thrilled. I was surrounded by cutting edge laboratory equipment and some of the greatest minds the world's ever known. But there is a… lack of transparency. I don't think we ever get the full story on everything that occurs down here."

She looked down at her desk, running her fingers along the edge of it, but not really seeming to see it.

"I had a colleague down here… a Doctor Virgil. Several months ago, there was an accident in his lab, and he was killed. I wanted to help with the investigation, but Shaun had the laboratory sealed, saying it was contaminated." She shook her head. "The incident never sat right with me. The more I asked about it, the more I felt like Shaun was deflecting my questions."

She looked up sharply when Nora took a deep breath.

"What?"

"Brian Virgil isn't dead."

Dr Li's eyes widened, and she spoke close to a whisper. 

"I didn't mention his first name."

"No. You didn't. Dr Virgil infected himself with a strain of FEV." Dr Li's face showed conflicting emotions, the strongest of them being horror and suspicion. "I don't know all the details, but he wasn't pleased with the ongoing research the Institute was doing on the FEV, and thought that if he infected himself and escaped from the Institute, they'd be forced to shut down the program. And they did."

Dr Li shook her head half in shock, half in disbelief.

"How do you know all this?"

"Dr Virgil is the one who helped me get into the Institute the first time. The virus turned him into a super mutant, but he still has his mind, mostly. He helped me on the understanding that, if I made it in here, I'd go into his old lab in the Biosciences division," Nora saw Dr Li's eyebrows twitch upward slightly at further confirmation of her story, "and bring him the cure he'd been working on."

"And… did you?"

Nora nodded.

"I took him the cure a few weeks ago. Oh, and now that I'm thinking about it…" She dropped her pack on the floor, opened it, and started looking through the smaller inside pockets, finally pulling out the three holotapes she had found in the old FEV lab. "I found these in his lab." She looked at the labels and held one of them out to the scientist. "He recorded this one. The other two were recorded by one of his predecessors."

Dr Li took the tape with a trembling hand and plugged it into her terminal.

"I have a plan… and if it works, I'll be somewhere safe. Somewhere not even the Coursers can find me."

Dr Li had lowered herself slowly into her desk chair as the recording ended. 

"They… lied to me. They lied to me, and I didn't even realize how far it went." She shook her head and spoke bitterly. "All those years of loyalty… for nothing." She looked up at Nora suddenly. "Why did you come here? You said you wanted to talk, but I'm sure it wasn't about this."

Nora hesitated.

"The Brotherhood of Steel sent me to try to recruit you."

Dr Li's eyes widened.

"You're with the Brotherhood?"

Nora grimaced.

"It's complicated. Mostly I wanted to know what they were up to in the Commonwealth." She shook her head and sighed. "As far as I can tell, the Brotherhood and the Institute are two sides of the same coin."

Dr Li gave a little bark of laughter.

"Yes, I think you may be right." She gave Nora a thoughtful look. "What is it you really want?"

Nora leaned her hands against the desk and looked down.

"I… I want the people I care about to be safe. And it doesn't feel like they're safe with the Brotherhood and the Institute looming over them." She looked up. "The Institute does good work… good science… but they're selfish."

Dr Li nodded.

"All those people dying in the Commonwealth, while we're surrounded by food, medicine and comfort. It's not what I expected when I came here."

"And the Brotherhood… they're fanatics. From what I've heard, they've changed a great deal since you worked with them. Their motto may be Ad Victoriam, but a more accurate one would be 'if you're not with us, you're against us,' with 'us' referring to humans. Synths, ghouls, super mutants… they're all considered abominations, to be killed on sight, even someone like Dr Virgil, who has retained his mind and is non-violent." She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know how to stop either of them, and I know there are good people in both groups, people I consider friends, even. But I have to try."

Dr Li looked at her measuringly.

"If you disagree with the Brotherhood's morals, why did you come to me with their request?"

"I need to stay in their good graces for now. I think I'll be able to do more to stop them from the inside. I don't know what they want you to work on, just that it's a project you worked on in the Capital Wasteland."

Dr Li's eyes narrowed.

"I can guess what it is." She grimaced. "And if I'm right, it was one of my reasons for leaving them." She tapped the fingers of one hand against her desk, her gaze distant, then sighed and looked at Nora. "I'll rejoin them." Nora blinked in surprise. "I can't stay here, not now that I know how deep the lies run. I'll make my way there on my own. It wouldn't be safe for us to be seen together too much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains spoilers for Fallout 3


	60. A Tale Within A Tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family that reads together, stays together.

Nora entered Home Plate and found Nat sitting in one of the armchairs frowning down at a book in her lap.

"Whatcha got there, kiddo?"

Nat looked back at the cover.

"The Sound and the Fury."

Nora grimaced.

"Oh, god. I hated that book. I had to read it for school, and all I remember about it is that it's divided into four sections, and that the author wrote in really huge, long, confusing sentences. I never actually finished it, only got through the first three sections."

"So how come you kept it?"

Nora grinned.

"I was going to offer it to Mr Zwicky." She wrinkled her nose and Nat laughed. "Were you enjoying it?"

Nat made a face and shook her head.

"Hold on, let me see." Nora crouched in front of the bookcases and scanned the titles. "Here, try this one."

"Treasure Island?"

"It's an adventure story about a kid who takes up with pirates. Hey, maybe we could read it together." 

"I thought I heard your voice."

Nora looked around to see Piper walk into the entryway.

"How'd it go, Blue?" She glanced past her at her little sister. "Nat, shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

"Aww, Piper! Nora and I were gonna read about pirates." She gave her sister a pleading look.

Nora looked at Piper apologetically.

"Sorry, Pipes. I didn't notice the time. Maybe just a couple of chapters? They're pretty short."

Piper looked between the two of them and laughed.

"I can't hold out against two sets of puppy dog eyes."

Nora stood and kissed her. They both laughed when they heard Nat making gagging noises behind them. Nora held a hand out to the girl.

"Come on, you. We'll be more comfortable on the couch."

As they passed Cait and Curie's bedroom, the door opened and Curie came out. 

"Is there to be a story? May we join you?"

"Sure, the more the merrier."

Curie settled eagerly on one of the armchairs, with Cait following somewhat reluctantly and perching on the arm next to her. Nat plopped herself between Piper and Nora, leaning against her sister and holding out the book to Nora, who opened it.

"Hey, it's got pictures."

"Yeah. Not enough to tell the story, like your comic books, but just a few to show some of the scenes."

Nora started reading young Jim Hawkins' story, stopping at the end of the third chapter. Cait looked up sharply.

"Why'd ye stop? Is Black Dog comin' back?"

"Well, for one thing, I haven't read out loud in a while, and my throat's getting tired. For another, it's Nat's bedtime. We can continue tomorrow night."

"Aww."

"Natalie, you already got an extra half hour," Piper said in a warning tone.

Nat sighed deeply and slouched off towards her bedroom. Cait and Curie excused themselves back to their bedroom, leaving Nora and Piper alone. Nora kicked off her boots and curled up against Piper's shoulder with a sigh.

"You got distracted by pirates and never did say. How'd it go?"

"She's going to rejoin the Brotherhood. Apparently, they were all told that Virgil died in a lab accident. Learning that it was a lie is what convinced her to leave."

Piper ran her fingers through Nora's hair, and she hummed contentedly.

"How's Shaun?"

"He's holding on, for now. He looked tired, maybe a bit thinner than last time. I… I saw the child. He was in Dr Li's office to be reprogrammed. I'm not really sure how I feel about him, but it breaks my heart to think of him living there, spending his life as a walking experiment."

Piper wrapped her arms around Nora and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Are you going to report to the Brotherhood tomorrow?"

Nora sighed.

"Yes. Come with me?"

"I thought you said they wouldn't allow me up there?"

"They probably won't, but they've set up in the airport too, and Ingram's working on something down there. I'd only have to go up to the ship for a little while to report to Maxson."

"OK, I'll come with you. I have to admit, I'm curious to see that ship up close."

Nora smirked.

"Mark this down as a red letter day – Piper Wright expressed curiosity."

Piper rolled her eyes, then laughed, leaning her cheek against Nora's head.

"Hey, I just thought of something."

"Hmm?"

"The Institute used Shaun's DNA to create the Gen 3 synths, that's why they call him Father, right?"

Nora nodded.

"So, technically…" Piper lowered her voice to a whisper. "You're Curie's grandmother."

Nora started shaking with laughter.

"Oh, god. Don't tell Curie. She might start calling me grandmère, and I don't think I could deal with it."


	61. A Dinner Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines have dinner with an elder.

Nora and Piper stopped for lunch at the County Crossing settlement, then ended up staying the rest of the afternoon to help the settlers fix some malfunctioning turrets. Nora used the settlement's ham radio to send a message to Cait and Curie to let them know they'd be gone longer than originally expected. They made it to the Boston Airport by mid-morning the next day. Nora signed Piper in to the base as a civilian visitor, and then hopped on the next vertibird transport up to the Prydwen.

She knocked on the door to Elder Maxson's quarters, and opened it when she heard a terse "Enter." The young man was seated at a terminal with his back to the door, and stood as the door opened. She saluted and stood at attention.

"Reporting in, sir."

"At ease. Go ahead, Knight."

"Doctor Li was working for the Institute as you suspected. I convinced her to return to the Brotherhood. She insisted on making her way here on her own. She should be here shortly."

"Excellent work, Knight." He paused for a moment, looking slightly awkward. "I had words with Captain Kells about you."

"Sir?"

"He told me of your background, that you served in the Great War."

"Yes, sir."

"I wonder if you'd join me for dinner tonight?"

Nora blinked in shock.

"Sir?"

"I would like to learn more about that time. This is not an order, Knight. I would consider it a personal favor."

Nora hesitated.

"Sir, my girlfriend is waiting for me down at the airport."

She saw a flush rising behind his beard.

"Ah, yes. She may join us, of course. And… Paladin Danse as well."

"Yes, sir. Permission to report to Proctor Ingram, sir?"

"Granted. Dismissed, Knight."

After leaving Maxson's quarters, Nora went to look for Danse. She found him in the mess hall and spent some time asking him questions about Maxson and his background. She learned that he was a descendant of the founder of the Brotherhood of Steel. His father, a Paladin in the western branch of the Brotherhood had died in the line of duty, and his mother had sent him to the eastern branch to be raised by its leader, Elder Lyons. He had been made elder at the age of sixteen after killing a super mutant leader, and reuniting the Brotherhood with a splinter group in the area.

Nora was thoughtful on the flight down to the airport. Doctor Li had mentioned that the leader of the Brotherhood in the Capital Wasteland had been a good man. She assumed this was the Elder Lyons Danse had spoken of. He and his successor, his daughter Sarah, who was killed in action shortly after her appointment, appeared to have been as interested in the welfare of the people of the wasteland, as in the Brotherhood's current goals of retrieving pre-war technology and wiping out "abominations."

She wondered what had happened since Elder Lyons' death to turn the boy Elder so completely away from his mentor's ideals. If he was as easily persuaded as that change of heart implied, perhaps she could do some good during this dinner.

After dropping off the holotape with Ingram, she went looking for Piper, and found her watching a team of scribes from the engineering department building barracks in one of the ruined terminal buildings. Nora joined her and watched for a while.

"You know, I've wondered where they were all sleeping. I haven't seen anywhere near enough beds up on the Prydwen to accommodate all the people here. I assumed they must be sleeping in shifts."

Piper slipped an arm around her waist and leaned against her.

"Are we ready to go?"

"Uh… about that…"

Piper raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Maxson wants me to have dinner with him. I told him you were waiting for me, and he said you could come with me." Nora grinned. "What do you say? Want to get a closer look at the Prydwen?"

Piper's eyes danced with glee. Nora laughed.

"Just don't get me kicked out yet, Pipes. I still need to keep an eye on them for the Railroad."

\+ + +

Piper held Nora's hand tightly on the entire flight up to the Prydwen, eyes wide with delight and terror. Nora spent more time watching Piper's reactions to her first vertibird ride than in taking in the view.

They ran into Paladin Danse, looking very small out of his power armor, just outside Maxson's quarters, and entered together. Throughout the meal, Maxson questioned Nora eagerly about pre-war life, the military, tactics and any number of other topics. His cold and detached outer shell fell away as they talked. 

Nora tried to subtly draw parallels between the Brotherhood's current goals and the more fanatic groups from her own time that had pushed them towards total annihilation. She did her best not to be too heavy-handed, not wanting to push him towards even further fanaticism, but wanting him to be able to think things through on his own.

They talked late into the night, and as they left, Nora requested and received permission to take Piper on the troop transport back to the Cambridge Police Station. Piper looked at her questioningly as they walked out onto the flight deck. 

"We could have walked back to County Crossing."

"In the dark? I'd rather not. I'd also rather not sleep up here. They assigned me a bunk, but it's not exactly private, and it's also loud."

They were the only two passengers on the transport. Piper leaned against Nora, and watched the lights of the settlements below them through the open door. She leaned close to her ear so she could be heard.

"It's like seeing the stars on the ground."

Nora smiled and nodded. 

"It was even brighter in my day. Lots more lights."

When they came down from the landing pad on the roof of the police station, they found Scribe Haylen sitting at a table, disassembling an electronic device of some sort. She looked up as the entered the room.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Haylen blinked.

"I… what time is it?"

Piper laughed.

"Sun'll be up soon."

Haylen rubbed her eyes and laughed. 

"Guess I got carried away. I'm going to make some coffee. Want some before you head out?"

They sat and chatted with her over coffee. There was a pause in the conversation, and Nora looked at her for a moment.

"Hey, Haylen, can I ask you something personal?"

She nodded.

"Why did you join the Brotherhood? No offense, but you aren't really like the other members I've dealt with so far."

Haylen looked around quickly to make sure no one else was around yet. 

"I ask myself the same question sometimes." She sighed. "I was alone, and I thought that, if I joined, I'd find comradeship and protection, and I have. But it sometimes feels like the price has been a part of my humanity. The Brotherhood's message is idealistic, but their methods leave a lot to be desired."

Piper patted Haylen's arm sympathetically. Nora glanced around as Haylen had done.

"Well, if you ever decide to leave, the Minutemen could use someone with your skills. I can introduce you to their General."

Haylen's eyes brightened. 

"I've heard good things about the Minutemen. They really seem interested in helping people. What's the general like?"

Piper rolled her eyes and laughed. Haylen looked at her in surprise. Piper hooked a thumb towards Nora.

"It's her."

Haylen looked at her in surprise.

"You are?"

Nora nodded sheepishly. 

"Sorry, I assumed you knew."

Haylen shook her head and frowned.

"Why did _you_ join the Brotherhood, then?"

Nora hesitated.

"I'll tell you, but I don't really want the details of this to become public knowledge in the Brotherhood." Haylen nodded. "The Institute kidnapped my infant son. They used his DNA as the blueprint to create the new human-like synths."

Haylen held up a hand.

"Wait, the synths have human DNA?"

Nora nodded.

"As far as I can tell, they're pretty much human, except for some electronic components, but I really don't know much about the process. The Institute insists they're machines."

"What happened to your son?"

"He's the leader of the Institute now. Sixty years passed between the time when they took him and the time I came out of cryo. I've lost him. He's completely indoctrinated."

Piper took Nora's hand and squeezed it gently as she talked. Haylen shook her head.

"I'm so sorry."

"Thanks. The Institute's still doing stuff like this, taking whatever they want from the Commonwealth, ruining people's lives, and telling themselves that it's all for the greater good. They need to be stopped. If I can't do it peacefully, I may need the Brotherhood's firepower, because at this point the Minutemen don't have the strength to take on the Institute."

"Thanks for sharing that with me. Don't worry, I'll keep your confidence."

Piper looked up towards the windows.

"Sun's up. We should head out."

They all stood, and Nora hugged Haylen.

"Don't forget what I said. I may have been facetious about introducing you to the General, but I meant it when I said we could use people like you."

Haylen nodded and turned to hug Piper as well, before the two women left the station and headed back to Diamond City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my private answer to the question "why is it so easy to persuade Maxson not to kill Danse?"


	62. A Light From Above

"I require your assistance." 

Curie had prefaced the statement with a deep breath, and Nora, Piper and Cait looked at her curiously.

"What's up, Curie?"

"Though I do enjoy traveling and experiencing new locations and new data, I find that, when we are at home, I am unable to conduct experiments. I simply do not have the necessary supplies or equipment. I require assistance in collecting such supplies and equipment and setting up a laboratory."

The other three looked at each other, then turned back to Curie.

"Sure, we can help with that," said Cait.

"Any thoughts on where you want to set up your lab?" asked Nora.

"We can make a point to investigate old hospitals to try to find the equipment you need," added Piper.

Curie beamed.

"How about setting her up in a corner of Publick Occurrences? Now that Nat and I are living here, I don't really need all that space to run the paper. If we move the desk downstairs, she could have the second floor for her lab."

Nora nodded.

"That could work, and she'd be able to open the door out to the roof to make sure it's well ventilated."

"What do you think, Curie?"

Curie clasped her hands together.

"It is a delightful plan, and I thank you."

As they had no fixed plans for that day, they spent some time moving the few bits of furniture left in Piper's old bedroom down to the ground floor, and rearranging the furniture on the ground floor to accommodate the additions.

Piper turned to Nora as they headed back to Home Plate that evening.

"I'd like to make a trip up to Salem."

"What's in Salem?"

"I've heard rumors from traders that there's a guy living there alone, calling himself the Salem Volunteer Militia. I'd like to interview him."

Nora smiled.

"Sounds like fun. And if we head north before we go east, we can hit some of the medical facilities in Cambridge and Medford on the way. We've already cleared both Med-Tek and Kendall hospital, so it should be fairly easy to get supplies from both of them." 

Cait snorted.

"I just hope that Deathclaw didn't have any friends that we missed."

Piper's eyes widened.

"What? What Deathclaw?"

Nora looked surprised.

"We didn't tell you about the Deathclaw in the basement of Kendall Hospital?"

"No, no you didn't."

Nora shrugged uncomfortably.

"Well, not much more to it than that. There was a Deathclaw in the basement. We killed it."

"I have no wish to meet any Deathclaws. Perhaps I shall stay out of the basement if we visit this Kendall Hospital." 

Cait squeezed Curie's shoulder gently.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you from any baddies." 

Curie smiled sweetly at Cait, who blushed and looked away. Nora and Piper glanced at each other and grinned.

\+ + +

They left early the next morning, heading north into Cambridge and to the Kendall Hospital, the Railroad's former Augusta Safehouse. It seemed that word of Nora and Cait's deeds hadn't gotten out yet, because the place was empty. They made their way through the place as quickly as possible, because time had not been kind to the bodies of the dead raiders and Railroad agents, and even with the gas masks that Nora produced from her pack, the stench was horrific.

They stopped off at Taffington Boathouse for the evening, and Piper was surprised to see how much the place had grown since the last time she'd been there. The settlers had patched the roof of the main building so that both stories were usable, and they had put in a new floor in the boathouse, as well. They had turned the boathouse into a little marketplace, with weapons and armor vendors and a general goods store. There were also new structures sprouting along the waterfront on either side of the original buildings.

Nora took all the equipment they'd collected for Curie and made arrangements to have one of the provisioners take it to Hangman's Alley for them. From there, they'd easily be able to get it to Diamond City once they returned.

The next morning they headed to Med-Tek to repeat the previous day's procedure. They found that a group of raiders had taken up residence in the building, but were able to deal with them fairly easily. As they got into the lower levels of the facility, Curie flitted from lab to lab calling out to the others excitedly, while Nora stuffed each item Curie pointed to in her pack, finding so much equipment that she eventually had to share the load with both Cait and Piper.

They left Med-Tek with their packs loaded, and made their way to Greentop Nursery, which wasn't too far away, and again Nora made arrangements to have the equipment they'd scavenged transported to Hangman's Alley.

The next morning they made their way past Finch Farm, and into the Salem area, following a ruined road along the coast. As they reached a headland where the coast turned northward, Nora's face lit up.

"A lighthouse! I love lighthouses. I wonder if anyone lives there?"

They heard a sudden cry from the direction of the lighthouse.

"For Atom!" 

A young man in brown rags came hurtling towards them, brandishing a small weapon with a dish-shaped barrel. The four women drew their weapons and prepared to defend themselves as several more ragged figures appeared from the lighthouse and the small house next to it.

Most of these Children of Atom wore no armor, but they fought fiercely, kicking, punching and shooting their strange weapons, which seemed to emit beams of some sort. Piper managed to avoid being struck by any of them, and soon looked around to find that there were no enemies left.

She saw Cait checking on Curie at one end of the little house and looked around trying to find Nora.

"Blue?"

Cait and Curie looked up when they heard her call, and together, they started searching for their missing friend.

"Found 'er!"

Cait came round the side of the house, half-carrying a shivering Nora, who suddenly lurched away from Cait and vomited. Cait grimaced, but didn't release her, waiting until she was finished before continuing towards Piper and Curie.

"Blue! What happened?"

"Got hit by one of their weird guns. P-pip boy's going crazy."

As soon as Nora said this, Piper noticed the geiger counter on Nora's pip boy chattering madly. Curie stepped up and placed a hand against Nora's forehead. 

"Take her into the house. I saw beds upstairs. She is suffering from radiation poisoning, and I must start a Radaway IV immediately."

Piper stepped to Nora's other side and put her arm around her shoulders, helping Cait drag her into the house. Curie ran ahead to lay a sleeping bag on the bare mattress, pull her medical kit from her pack and prepare the items she would need.

Cait and Piper laid Nora down on the bed, and Piper knelt by her head, while Curie prepared the IV. She found a convenient nail on the wall near the bed and hung the bag on it.

"Help her to sit, please."

She pulled a can of purified water from her pack and, once Piper and Cait got her sitting up, with Piper behind her as a backrest, she offered Nora the can to sip from.

"A little at a time."

Once the Radaway bag was empty, Curie removed the needle from Nora's arm.

"I will check again in a few hours and may administer another dose. For now, sleep would be best."

Nora nodded weakly and allowed her friends to help her lie back down, with Piper curled up at her back, holding her close.

The sun was nearly down when she woke, Piper's arms still wrapped around her, one hand stroking her arm gently.

"Piper?"

She felt a soft kiss against the nape of her neck.

"How're you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a Mack truck. But that's an improvement over earlier. Where are Cait and Curie?"

She sat up slowly, with Piper supporting her.

"Checking out the rest of the property. Cait found a Glowing One at the top of the lighthouse, so they decided they should make sure we really were alone. Curie wants us to stay here at least another day to make sure you're OK."

"Ah, you are awake. Excellent."

Curie came briskly up the stairs and placed a hand against Nora's forehead.

"Your fever has broken."

She lifted Nora's hand and examined the geiger counter on her pip boy.

"And your geiger counter is no longer detecting radiation. Very, very good. Cait has made a mirelurk stew with wild tatos. I will bring you a bowl, you will eat and then you will sleep again. Yes?"

Nora gave Piper an amused look, but nodded meekly.

"Yes, doctor."

\+ + +

"There's another Children of Atom camp just up the coast," Cait said around a mouthful of mirelurk stew. They were gathered around the little table in the kitchen of the lighthouse keeper's house, making a breakfast of the leftover stew. Nora opened up the map on her pip boy and held it out to Cait, who studied it carefully, then pointed. "There, I think."

Nora nodded.

"OK. We'll make a detour. I don't particularly want to run into any more of their radiation guns."

Curie still insisted on staying for another day, to make sure Nora was fully recovered from her radiation poisoning, and they spent the day in unaccustomed idleness. Cait and Curie went off exploring, Nora and Piper stayed closer to the lighthouse, not going much further afield than the boat down by the dock.

Nora stood in the middle of the yard and looked around appraisingly. 

"I like this location. It would make a good settlement. Look," she pointed back towards the dock, "you've got water on that side," then to either side of it, "and cliffs on those two sides. If anyone wanted to attack here, they'd have to come from the road, like we did, or climb the cliffs up from the shore. The house is in decent shape, and there's plenty of arable land and water."

She threw an arm over Piper's shoulders and they stood enjoying the sunshine and the sea air for a few minutes.

"Blue, I've been meaning to ask you a personal question for a while. May I?"

Nora nodded, dropped to sit on the grass and tugged at Piper's hand, encouraging her to join her, which she did. 

"What did you want to ask?"

"It's about Shaun? How did you…? I mean… if you and Nate… because you're…" 

"What are you trying to ask me, Piper?"

Piper felt her face redden, and when she glanced at Nora, saw her watching her with a mischievous smile. "Come on, you know what I mean!"

Nora grinned.

"Yeah, but you're adorable when you get flustered like that." Piper rolled her eyes, and Nora leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You want to know how we conceived Shaun if we didn't have sex?" Piper nodded. "We used artificial insemination." Nora glanced at Piper and saw the question in her eyes. "Nate masturbated into a cup and we used a syringe to squirt the semen into me. It took several tries before we got the timing right, but eventually…" she smiled softly, "we had Shaun."

"Had you planned on having more kids, or just the one?"

"Yeah, we wanted more. Nate and I both had multiple siblings, and that was the sort of family we were hoping to have."

Piper looked at her in surprise.

"You had brothers and sisters?"

"Yeah, two of each." Her eyes clouded, she wrapped her arms around her upraised knees and leaned her chin against them.

"I'm sorry, Blue. I shouldn't have brought it up." She put a hand on Nora's back.

"No, it's OK. I don't mind talking about them."

"What were their names?"

"Monica, Daniel, Pablo and Vicky. Monica was the eldest. She was ten years older than me and six years older than Daniel, and the rest of us were each two years apart, Daniel, then Pablo, then me and then Vicky."

"Have you been able to find out what happened to them?"

"No. None of them lived in this area anymore. Pablo and Daniel were both deployed, last I heard, Monica was out west and Vicky had moved to Maine to be closer to our mother, who'd moved there for a job several years earlier."

"And your dad?"

"He died of a heart attack when I was seventeen."

Piper leaned against Nora, scratching her hand gently up and down her back. After a few moments Nora turned to look at her.

"Had you thought of having kids?"

Piper shrugged. 

"Yeah, I'd thought about it. I figured I'd have kids if I fell in love with a man, and maybe adopt if I fell in love with a woman."

Nora nodded.

"Or use donor sperm." She made a face. "Though I don't really know anyone right now that I'd want to ask who wouldn't get weird about it." She gave a little laugh. "I read an article a few years ago about some researchers who'd been experimenting with fertilizing an egg with the DNA from another egg. I think they were trying to increase the populations of endangered species or something. I don't remember the details, but it would have allowed two women to have a child together."

Piper laughed.

"See, that's the sort of science they _should_ have been working on, instead of all those bombs. More babies."

Nora grinned and pulled her close.

\+ + +

Curie checked Nora over one last time the following morning, and declared that they could leave. Nora marked the location of the lighthouse on her pip boy before they left, so she could pass the information along to Preston the next time they were near a radio. They made a detour around the Children of Atom encampment and continued into Salem. The place appeared to be deserted, but as they reached the church, they started to hear gunfire and a man's voice shouting.

They unholstered their weapons and headed towards the noise, finding a middle-aged man standing on the ruined second story of an old house, shooting down at a handful of mirelurks, and shouting a stream of invective at them. The four women quickly found safe positions nearby and started helping the man clear the mirelurks. As soon as they were dead, he called out to them.

"Are you crazy? Get out of the street before any more of them catch wind of you! Look, I'll open the gate and you get in here quick! I'm gonna let you in the bunker. Don't make me regret this."

They glanced at each other.

"I'm guessing this is the guy you came to interview?" Nora asked.

Piper shrugged.

"Only guy we've seen in Salem so far."

Cait looked around.

"Let's go then, in case he's right about more 'lurks comin' by."

Curie nodded eagerly.

"Yes, I do not wish to fight any more of these creatures."

The man watched them approach from his perch on the second floor, and when they got close to the gate, he leaned forward and the gate opened automatically, closing again behind them once they were all through. They walked around to the back of the house and found the man coming down the stairs. He gestured them closer and opened a hatch under the stairs.

"This way."

They followed him down into a basement bunker. He secured the hatch behind them and turned to them with an exasperated look.

"Did someone drop you on your heads when you were babies, or did ya have to work to get this stupid?"

Cait made a low growling noise and both Nora and Curie put a hand out to hold her back, and Nora shook her head at her, smiling placatingly at the man.

"It was pretty stupid just walking into that. Don't know what we were thinking."

The man glared at her for a moment, then sighed and shook his head.

"Listen, don't let an old codger like me scare you. I'm old and I'm cranky, and I haven't had a guest in months." He suddenly stood at attention, holding his rifle across his shoulder. "Barney Rook, commander of the Salem Volunteer Militia, at your service. I'm also the quartermaster, sergeant at arms, and scribe for all official meetings. This is Reba." He patted the rifle. "Best rifle in the Commonwealth. But you already met her when she saved your life out there."

Nora smiled.

"Nice to meet you Mr Rook, Reba. I'm Nora, I'm with the Minutemen. This is Curie, and Cait, and this is..." 

Piper stepped forward eagerly.

"I'm Piper Wright. I run the newspaper in Diamond City. I'd heard about you and we came here hoping I could get an interview with you. The man holding on to Salem."

Barney preened.

"Well, I can't say I'd object to a chat, but we have work to do first. And by we, I most definitely mean you. Before you showed up, the mirelurks had been mostly quiet, and those that were a problem were quickly dispatched by my turret defense system. Since things had been quiet lately, I took the turrets offline to conserve ammunition. Obviously, they need to be reactivated. And that's your mission, soldiers." He stepped to a table and scrawled something on a slip of paper and held it out to Nora. "That there's the password for the terminals controlling the turrets. There's five of them, up high throughout the town, oh, 'cept for the one across from the church, that one's at ground level. Get 'em turned on, and they'll take care of the crabbies. Just be careful out there. All your noise probably woke up more crabbies and other mirelurks. Town could be crawling with them by now."

Nora nodded tucking the password into her pocket.

"Will do." She turned to her friends. "How about if Cait and I go get the turrets back online, and Piper, you and Curie stay here and get that interview?"

Piper nodded and squeezed Nora's hand.

"Just be careful out there, Blue."

She nodded and led Cait out of the basement. As soon as the hatch was closed behind them, Cait exploded.

"Where does he get off callin' us stupid!"

Nora grinned.

"Cut him a bit of slack, Cait. He's been alone here for months, with no one to talk to but his gun. It's bound to have given him a skewed perspective."

Cait huffed.

"Well, if he does it again, he'll get a punched nose, perspective or not."

Nora pointed to the stairs.

"Let's check things out before we head out there."

Cait nodded and they headed up to Barney's perch on the second floor. Nora spent a few minutes examining the town through her rifle scope.

"I see one turret in the building in front of us, and two up on the church. Let's start with those and then figure out where the others are."

Cait had also been looking around carefully.

"Saw a 'lurk headin' around the corner of the church, but no others so far."

They made a quick dash to the building across from them and up some scaffolding. Cait kept watch while Nora accessed the terminal and turned on the turret. Cait nudged her as she turned away from the terminal.

"Another turret there." She pointed to the building they'd passed on their way to the first terminal. Nora pulled out her scope again and examined the building. 

"I don't see a way up to that level from this side. Let's do the church first." 

As they started back towards the scaffolding, they heard the turret start spinning up, and found two mirelurks around the corner trying to reach it. They dispatched them quickly and dashed to the church.

"There's the one he said was on ground level," Cait called out, then put on a burst of speed as she heard the clicking of mirelurk claws coming closer.

They slowed down when they reached the stairs to the balcony, knowing the creatures wouldn't be able to follow them up there. Cait stopped and started taking shots at the ones that had followed them into the building, while Nora made her way to the top of the steeple, where she found the second terminal, which controlled both turrets on the church roof. They spun up immediately and started shooting down to the ground. Nora rejoined Cait on the balcony.

"Do you have a problem with heights?"

Cait shook her head.

"What're ye plannin'?"

"I'll run across the street to the ground level one and you cover me from the steeple." 

Cait nodded. 

"I'll give ye a shout when I'm in place."

Nora made her way quietly to the church entrance, and sprinted across the street when she heard Cait's call, clambering over the chain link fence that protected the turret and terminal, rather than stopping to open the gate. Turret on, she called up to Cait and they made their way back to the other side of the church and around the back of the building Cait had spotted. They found more scaffolding there and climbed up it, encountering two more 'lurks between them and the terminal. 

They had an advantage in this case, because the mirelurks were above them, exposing their soft underbellies to their weapons, and they made quick work of them.

Nora made her way to the fourth terminal. As she finished, she heard a cracking noise and turned, raising her rifle, then lowered it, when she saw Cait stomping through a nest of mirelurk eggs. The redhead grimaced as she walked towards her.

"Might need new boots after that."

Nora made a face.

"No kidding. OK, come on, just one more to find."

They found the last terminal at the other end of the same building they were in, and quickly turned it on. They heard an almost musical blast of sound and Nora peeked over the edge of the broken wall, to see a humanoid creature with webbed feet, and spiky fins.

"What the hell is that?"

Cait leaned over her shoulder.

"Mirelurk king. We'll need to be careful with him. That noise he makes can make yer ears bleed or worse, if he hits ye full force."

"Jesus Christ. Just when I think I've seen everything..."

She couldn't make out what the mirelurk king might have evolved from, but it was considerably more agile than the crab and lobster evolved ones. She and Cait used the broken wall as cover, rather than trying to take it on at ground level. When they did finally land some shots, they found that the price for its agility was a considerably weaker hide than the varieties with exoskeletons, and, once crippled, it went down easily.

They rejoined the others in the bunker in time to hear the end of Barney's interview.

"I saved as many as I could, sniping crabbies from my roost upstairs. But for every one I saved, three were goners." He sighed. "That was a couple of years ago. Ever since then, I've vowed to protect this town, and I don't plan on breaking that vow." He noticed Nora and Cait and stood with a grin. "You did it, didn't you? We could hear that sweet, sweet machine gun music all the way down here!"

"No problem, we were glad to help." Nora hesitated. "Look, Barney, if you'd like, I can get Salem added to the Minutemen patrols. Get you some help to protect the town? Maybe get some people living here again. Anyone who comes here would be fully aware that it's mirelurk country and be prepared to help defend the place. What do you think?"

He sighed. 

"Would be nice having folks around again. You really think you could do it?"

Nora grinned.

"I know the General. I can put in a good word."

Barney nodded. 

"Alright then. Wouldn't mind having a few more members in the Salem Volunteer Militia. Say, before you go." He held up a hand, walked to a nearby door and unlocked it, revealing a workshop. He vanished into it for a few seconds and returned holding a second rifle, nearly identical to his beloved Reba. "This is Reba II. I'd like you to have her. You've earned her."


	63. Long Time Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines track down a mobster.

Piper looked up when the door to Publick Occurrences opened, and smiled when she saw Nora. She put down the tray of type pieces she was holding, hurried over to her and threw her arms around her neck, kissing her soundly. Nora grinned as Piper pulled back.

"Might have to go away more often if that's the welcome I'll get when I return."

Piper wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue. Nora laughed and kissed her again. 

After their return from Salem, Nora had wanted to go down to Warwick Homestead to check on Roger and his family. After nearly a week away, Piper had been reluctant to leave Nat again so soon, and Curie had been eager to finish setting up her new lab, so Nora and Cait had gone alone.

Piper led Nora to the couch and perched sideways on it, leaning against the back, and holding Nora's hand.

"How are the Warwicks?"

"They're doing well. Bill hasn't returned, but Cedric did come back a week or so after we were last there. They have a few new hands that the folks in Jamaica Plain sent over to them, and Cait and I helped them repair the walkway over one of the water tanks to give them access to another of the original buildings for extra lodging space. Roger and June have decided to ally with the Minutemen, so I contacted Preston when we got back to Jamaica Plain and got them added to the patrol routes."

Piper smiled.

"Sounds like a successful trip."

"Yup. And…" Nora grinned smugly, reached into one of her pockets and held up a holotape. "I found the last of the Eddie Winter holotapes."

"That's great! Nick will be really pleased…" Piper quirked an eyebrow. "Or, relieved? I'm not sure. Where'd you find it?"

"Quincy Police Station. It was the last station on my list from the terminals at the other stations."

Piper blinked.

"Quincy? Isn't that still overrun with gunners?'

Nora nodded. 

"We ran into a couple on the outskirts, and had to take them out before they raised the alarm. I stripped one of them of their fatigues, put them on, along with a gas mask, and walked on in."

Piper's eyes had gotten progressively wider as Nora told her story.

"You went in by yourself?"

"It was safer. Do you think Cait could have pulled it off? I couldn't risk her losing her temper and blowing our cover. I did wait till dusk before making the attempt and got in and out within about ten minutes. I was careful, Pipes."

Piper sighed and curled up against Nora's shoulder.

"I'm glad you're OK."

Nora pulled Piper's hat off and kissed the top of her head, before plopping it back down crookedly. Piper gave her a mock glare as she sat up to rearrange her cap. Nora grinned.

"Shall we go tell Nick?"

Piper shook her head and Nora looked at her in surprise.

"Not yet." She moved to straddle Nora's lap. "I haven't finished welcoming you home yet."

She cupped Nora's face in her hands and leaned in to kiss her, then pulled back suddenly as the front door slammed open, and a very agitated Curie entered, followed by a concerned-looking Cait.

"No, I fear I am barely holding myself together!"

"What's going on?" Piper asked, shifting so she was sitting on Nora's lap instead of straddling it.

Curie dropped into a nearby chair, her breathing shallow, but it was Cait who answered.

"She's worried that she's havin' trouble adjustin' to bein' a synth."

"It is overwhelming. Even mastering basic functioning was a challenge, how to brush the teeth, how to operate with only two hands, etc. But now I am full of inconsequential thoughts, feelings... How do you do everything with this whirlwind in the head?" She looked up at them pleadingly.

Nora and Piper looked at her sympathetically from the sofa, while Cait stood next to her with a hand hovering tentatively above her shoulder. When she finally allowed her hand to touch the other, Curie shivered and put her hand on top of Cait's.

"What sort of thoughts and feelings?" Nora asked her.

Curie frowned slightly. "I don't know. I think anger, fear, happiness, but I am not sure. They are so new. You all make it look so effortless. But for me, it is so hard to focus. To do research. And inspiration is as elusive as ever."

"What about that antibiotic ointment you made us?"

Curie shook her head and made a brushing motion with her hand.

"I was merely following a recipe. All I had to do was find appropriate substitutes."

Piper gave a little laugh.

"And you don't see how impressive that is?"

Curie looked up in surprise, glancing between Piper and Nora and up at Cait. Cait nodded and patted her shoulder gently.

"Yer doin' fine. It'll just take time."

Curie smiled sweetly at her.

"You are the saving grace in all of this." She suddenly became flustered and glanced back at Piper and Nora. "All of you. As a robot I had much appreciation for you. But now... it is deeper. I am still loyal, but now I do this because I want to. Because you are... my friends."

"Ye're our friend too," Cait said in a husky voice, blushing furiously.

Curie blinked several times and took a shaky breath.

"My eyes, they are malfunctioning."

As Cait squeezed onto the edge of the chair next to Curie, Piper squeezed Nora's hand to get her attention and gestured towards the door. Nora nodded and they slipped quietly out of the room, leaving the other two women alone.

Nora grinned mischievously at Piper once they were out of Publick Occurrences.

"They've got it bad."

\+ + +

Nick's yellow eyes seemed to gleam brighter when Nora held the last holotape out to him. Ellie hovered behind him, caught between worry and relief.

"I should have this decoded by tomorrow morning. I've already done the rest of them, so once I'm done we'll have the full code. You up for a trip to Andrew Station tomorrow?"

Nora and Piper nodded and Nora clapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's close this case, Nick. God, that sounded cheesy. Sorry. But yeah, we're with you."

The synth detective smirked.

"You're starting to sound like a character from a noir detective story."

Nora grinned.

"In other words, I've been spending too much time with you."

Ellie laughed. 

"She's got you there, Nick."

Nick gave a sharp laugh.

"Smart asses, the pair of you."

The three women grinned.

"Come by the house when you're ready to leave tomorrow, Nick," Piper said.

Nick nodded, and Nora and Piper said their farewells.

\+ + +

Andrew Station was a raider encampment. They had a pitched battle with the half dozen or so raiders on the surface before making their way quietly into the station. Nick led the way, and was so eager to reach Eddie Winter's bunker, that Piper and Nora had to restrain him on more than one occasion, when he almost stepped on a frag mine.

They made their way past what appeared to be an underground fighting ring, and finally, to the door of Eddie Winter's vault. Nick handed Nora the slip of paper on which he'd written the door code.

"I wouldn't have made it this far without your help. Why don't you do the honors?"

Nora nodded and keyed in the code. The door opened to reveal a small, one-room chamber, and clambering to his feet next to a couch, a very surprised-looking ghoul.

"What the hell? Who the hell are you?"

Nora stepped forward, Nick following her, and Piper bringing up the rear, with her hand on the 10mm in her pocket.

"Are you Eddie Winter?"

"Yeah, I'm Eddie Winter, and you're in my vault. How the hell did you get in here?" He gave a sudden mocking laugh before they could answer. "Oh, wait, don't tell me. You cracked the code in the holotapes? After what, two hundred years? God, that was a joke to prove how dumb those feds were. Well, I don't know what you expected to find here, gold, jewels, but there's just me."

"We came to find you."

He sneered at Nora.

"Well, you found me, and now you can get the hell out of here."

Nick finally spoke.

"Not before we get what we came for."

Eddie did a double take when took a closer look at Nick. 

"What the hell are you supposed to be? Some kinda robot?"

"The name's Valentine. Nick Valentine. Ring a bell?"

"The cop? Is that who you're supposed to be? Sorry pal, but you ain't Nick Valentine. You're just some kind of machine."

"You killed my fiancee, Jennifer Lands. There are some crimes even you can't get away with."

Eddie laughed cruelly.

"Yeah, I remember her. Pretty girl. But Nick, the real Nick, should have paid attention and backed off. Anyway, why do you care? You're not even alive."

Nick raised his rifle. "I guess I'm in good company," and shot Eddie in the head. Piper swallowed hard and turned away. Nick looked down at the body of Eddie Winter and sighed deeply.

"We're done here. There's one more thing I need to do. I wouldn't mind the company if you wanted to tag along."

Nora put a hand on Piper's back and she nodded, taking Nora's hand.

"Lead the way, Nick."

He led them back to the surface, and down the road a ways from the station entrance, to an old Joe Spuckies. He paused across the street from it and crouched down.

"This is it. In this spot, two hundred years ago, one of Eddie's boys put a bullet in Jenny Lands' back. And now Eddie's as dead as Jenny… and Nick. And I… I'm at a loss." He sighed and stood. "I think I just need some time to process this."

Piper put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Nick. Let's get back home and tell Ellie."


	64. A Plea for Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine makes a trip to the Capital Wasteland.

"Hey, boss!"

MacCready left his stool at Power Noodles and joined Nora and Piper as they walked through the Marketplace to Home Plate.

"Hey. How long have you been waiting for me?" Nora frowned, suddenly concerned. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, not too long. And no, nothing's wrong. I just… I need your help. Again."

MacCready pulled awkwardly on one earlobe, and wouldn't meet her gaze.

She put a hand on his shoulder and steered him towards Home Plate.

"Let's go inside and you can tell me all about it."

He nodded and followed them in, then waited until they had dropped their packs, greeted Nat and got themselves settled in the living room. 

"So what's up," asked Nora.

"I've heard back from my friends. The cure worked. Duncan's improving."

"That's great!"

He nodded.

"I wanna go get him, bring him to the Commonwealth. It's not… it's not that I don't trust Daisy's caravan contacts, but this is my kid. I'd feel safer if I could go get him myself. And I'd feel safer still if I had you to back me up. Plus, if we're not traveling with a caravan, it'll be a lot faster."

Nora hesitated and glanced at Piper, who rolled her eyes.

"Yes! Of course! Go!"

Nora smiled and squeezed her hand before turning back to MacCready.

"What's your plan?"

His shoulders slumped in relief. He took a shaky breath before answering.

"Figured we could hire a boat for most of the journey. I passed through Plymouth on my way up here. They have a small fleet of fishing boats. I'm sure, for enough caps, we could convince one of them to take us down as far as Point Lookout. From there, there's a regular ferry to the Capital Wasteland, run by a lady name of Nadine. I figure, if we can stay out of trouble, we can make it in a month, six weeks tops."

Nora felt Piper's hand tighten in hers.

"You've thought this through."

He nodded.

"I've had it on the back burner for a while. I mean, first priority was obviously to find the cure and get it back to him, but yeah, I always hoped it would come to this."

"I'll need a little time to prepare. You OK with starting out in a week or so?"

"Sounds good. I'm ready whenever you are."

\+ + +

Nora spent the next week making arrangements for the trip. She and Piper made the short trip to Hangman's Alley to borrow their ham radio so she could let Preston know she'd be gone for a few weeks. She let the settlers who ran the shops she’d set up know that they'd need to make their payments to Piper in her absence.

She bought extra ammo for her favorite weapons, and spent hours threading caps tightly onto strings, and packing them into neat packages so they could be hidden away in packs and under clothing without clinking and giving away how much she was carrying.

She packed and repacked, trying to keep her load as light as possible, without leaving behind anything she might need on the journey.

Though Piper was fully supportive of the journey, she and Nora clung to each other at night, trying to pack a month's worth of absence into a few nights of closeness.

Nora stood at the dresser looking through her spare clothes, trying to decide if she needed to add any more of it to her pack. She heard footsteps coming up the steps behind her, then Piper's body pressing against her back, her arms wrapping around her waist. She leaned back into the embrace, resting her head against Piper's. 

"I'm pretty sure you have everything you need, Blue."

Nora laughed.

"I was always an anxious packer. It's worse when I'm traveling literally into the unknown."

"It may be the unknown, but there are people and settlements all along the way. If it's anything vital, you should be able to buy it."

Nora nodded and sighed.

"Something wrong, Blue?"

"I'm… nervous, I guess. Boston was a large city, but it wasn't vital, and look how bad things are here. How much worse is it going to be in DC, which was the capital of the country? OK, maybe not nervous. Terrified, is more like it."

Piper's arms tightened around her, and she pressed a kiss to her temple. 

"As I understand it, there was a lot more destruction, fewer buildings left intact, but other than that, it's much like here. You'll be fine, Blue. You're strong and capable, and you'll be with MacCready, who's also strong and capable and who grew up there."

Nora nodded and wriggled around until she was facing Piper.

"I'm going to miss you so much."

Piper kissed her hard. As she pulled back, she lifted a hand to Nora's face, tracing her fingers gently along her hairline.

"Just be careful, OK?"

Nora nodded and kissed her again.

\+ + +

The whole family walked her to the entrance of Diamond City the next morning, where MacCready was waiting for her. She hugged Curie and Cait in turn. Curie's eyes were swimming with tears as she experienced her first long term parting from a friend.

"I am sorry, Nora. I thought I had mastered my emotions, but I find I cannot control this feeling."

Nora smiled and patted her gently on the shoulder.

"It's OK, Curie. I kinda feel like that too. I'm just holding it in."

Cait put an arm around Curie's shoulders, and the synth turned and buried her face in Cait's neck, leaving the redhead wide eyed and stuttering, but eventually putting both arms around her to comfort her.

Nora turned to Nat, who was leaning against Piper with a sulky expression. She knelt in front of the girl and took her hands.

"Look after your sister, OK?"

Nat nodded, hesitated, then launched herself at Nora and hugged her tightly. Nora kissed her cheek as she pulled away, then stood and kissed Piper. They had said all they needed to in the preceding week, so all they said was "I love you," before Nora turned and followed MacCready out of the stadium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going on an adventure!
> 
> Because after everything we go through in MacCready's affinity building, it bothers me that we never get to meet Duncan.


	65. Plymouth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine makes a surprising discovery.

It took them four days to get to Plymouth. They spent the first night at Warwick Homestead, and headed out of Nora's ken the second day. They came across a few isolated farms and small settlements, and were able to secure lodgings at one of them for the second night. The settlers were wary, until MacCready mentioned that they were hosting the General of the Minutemen. 

News of the restored Minutemen was starting to spread, and the settlers spoke wistfully of hoping someday their influence would spread into their area as well. Nora gave them some pointers for securing their property, and making contact with their nearest neighbors, so they could support each other. 

The third day their journey took them through marshy areas, and they found themselves fighting off mirelurks. On the one hand, this slowed them down. On the other hand, they were able to have fresh meat for their lunch. 

They made it to Hanover late that afternoon, a fairly large, walled in settlement, the hub of the surrounding area. Nora looked around with interest. Unlike Diamond City, the inhabitants of Hanover hadn't started with an existing structure. And it was obvious that the job had been done in stages, with new outer walls being built as the settlement grew too big for the original walled area.

The place was large enough to boast two options for travelers looking to spend the night; a pub that had a bunkhouse on the top floor, and an older couple who owned a large house and rented out rooms both long and short term. Nora and MacCready chose the latter, and fell onto the battered mattresses with matching yawns.

The final stretch to Plymouth was the smoothest. There was a fair bit of trade between Hanover and Plymouth, so the paths were well marked and patrolled by guards from both towns. They reached Plymouth well before dark, and made their way to the docks immediately, only to find that the fishing fleet had not yet returned.

MacCready started chatting with a couple of fishermen too old to go out on the boats anymore, plying them with drinks and picking their brains on the likelihood of being able to hire one of the boats, the prices they'd be likely to have to pay, and the best choices among those who'd be likely to take them up on their offer. 

Nora, meanwhile, went in search of lodgings for the night. She looked around with interest as she explored. Unlike Hanover and Diamond City, Plymouth was not walled in, but they did have a fairly large security force manning guard towers all along the perimeter of the settlement. Like Hanover, Plymouth had been spared direct damage from the bombs, and though some buildings had been boarded up and others razed, many pre-war structures were still in use.

She was meandering through the marketplace, looking for pubs, inns or other types of lodgings, and was on the point of stopping to ask someone for directions, when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and heard a shaky voice behind her.

"Dinora?"

Nora's eyes widened in shock. Dinora was her full name, and the only people who knew it had been dead for over two hundred years. She turned, stunned, to see a ghoul woman staring at her. The woman raised a shaking hand to her mouth. 

"It is!"

Nora stared at the woman. The voice was different, roughened by the radiation that had changed her appearance and extended her life, but the eyes were the same.

"Mami?"

Of all the people she might have expected to meet in Plymouth, her mother was the last on the list. Her mother opened her arms and Nora fell into them. When they pulled apart, both had tears in their eyes, and smiles on their lips. Her mother ran a gentle finger over Nora's face, confusion in her eyes.

"But, how?"

"The vault froze us. I've only been awake for a few months." She looked around. "Do you live here, mami?"

The ghoul woman nodded. 

"We've been here for a long time, now."

"We?"

Her mother smiled.

"Your sister Vicky is with me, still. Come, come home with me and you'll see her!"

Nora hesitated. 

"I'm here with a friend. We're on our way to the Capital Wasteland to pick up his son."

Her mother nodded decisively.

"Well, you will stay with us tonight, at least?"

Nora smiled.

"Of course, mami."

"Where is your friend?"

"Down by the docks, trying to hire us a boat."

Her mother nodded and took her arm, leading her back in that direction. 

"We will go get your friend, and when the boats return, I will come with you and make sure they do not cheat you. You never did know how to haggle properly."

Nora laughed. 

"No, I always hated when you tried to make me."

Her mother tutted.

"You Americans had no sense of proper commerce."

They met MacCready on his way off the docks. He blinked in surprise at the easy camaraderie between Nora and the strange ghoul woman, and was even more surprised when Nora practically bounced over to him and dragged him towards her.

"MacCready, this is my mother, Luisa!"

His eyes widened and he looked between them.

"Your... mother?" he repeated.

"Mami, this is my friend MacCready."

"Um, you can call me Rob, ma'am." He took off his cap and held out a hand for her to shake. Nora looked at him in surprise.

"What?" he asked after an uncomfortable moment.

"I…" She scratched her head. "Well, first of all, I didn't know you had any other names than MacCready. And secondly, I've never seen you without your hat."

He laughed and put his hat back on self-consciously.

"Robert Joseph MacCready."

"It is nice to meet you, Rob. My daughter tells me you are on your way to get your son."

MacCready nodded.

"The boats will not return for a couple of hours yet. Until then, why don't you both come home with me, and we'll have a bite to eat,"she turned to Nora, "and we can catch up."

They both nodded and followed her as she led the way to the second floor of a multi-story building that had been divided up into apartments. A second ghoul woman was sitting inside at a workbench, sewing some pieces of leather into what might be a jacket or some armor. She looked up when they entered, smiled at her mother, and glanced briefly at Nora and MacCready, before her eyes widened and returned to Nora, her jaw dropping.

She stood and hurled herself across the room, embracing Nora so tightly that she squeezed the breath out of her. She pulled back and glanced between Nora and their mother, still wide-eyed. 

"What? How?" She glanced again at MacCready, then out through the still open door. "Nate and Shaun?"

Nora's eyes clouded and she shook her head. Their mother flapped her hands at Nora's sister. 

"At least let them get inside." She ushered them the rest of the way in, closed the door behind them and urged them to sit, and bustled into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee and put some cold meats and other snacks on a tray. Vicky, meanwhile, sat next to her sister and pelted her with questions.

"Two hundred years later, but you're not a ghoul like us. How?"

"I've been cryogenically frozen. We didn't know the vault was going to do that when we went in."

Her sister put a hand on her knee, her voice gentler than previously.

"What happened to Nate and Shaun?"

"Have you heard of the Institute?"

Vicky frowned and nodded.

"Nothing good."

"They unfroze us long enough to take Shaun. Nate tried to stop them and they killed him. And then they refroze me. It was another sixty years before I got out. Shaun's an old man now."

Vicky squeezed her hand gently. Their mother had stopped in the doorway with the tray of food in her hands to listen. She shook her head.

"Why would they take an infant?"

"They wanted some unspoiled human DNA for some experiments they were doing. He's their leader now."

Her mother put the tray down on the coffee table, sat on the other side of her and put her arms around her.

"I'm so sorry, mi hija."

Nora sank into her mother's arms, a lump forming in her throat. The security of her mother's embrace was something she had thought was lost to her forever. After a few moments, her mother pulled away, patted her cheek and bustled back into the kitchen to get the coffee, beckoning to MacCready to follow her.

"Are you moving here?" Vicky asked hopefully.

Nora shook her head.

"We're just passing through. We're going to go get MacCready's son and take him back to the Commonwealth."

"But when you've done that, you can come back here!"

Nora shook her head again and smiled shyly.

"No, I have someone waiting for me."

Vicky's eyes lit up.

"Mami! Nora has a girlfriend! Finally!" She wrinkled her nose at her sister. "It only took nuclear annihilation and two hundred years of cryogenic suspension."

Nora smiled.

"She was worth the wait."

Their mother returned carrying the coffeepot, with MacCready behind her carrying mugs and plates. She turned to him as he put his stack down on the coffee table.

"Do you know this person my daughter seems so smitten with?"

MacCready looked up in surprise and glanced at Nora, who was blushing furiously, with a hand over her eyes, but a grin on her face.

"Uh, yeah. Piper's real good."

"Ooh, Piper!" interrupted Vicky, poking Nora in the ribs. "Tell us about your lady love, Nora," she continued in a sing-song voice.

Nora poked her back, which quickly devolved into a wrestling match on the sofa, while MacCready watched bemusedly. Their mother rolled her eyes and patted him comfortingly on the knee, offering him a mug of coffee and one of the plates, and pointing him towards the platter of food.

"They were always like this. It won't last long."

And shortly, they were giggling, out of breath, collapsed against each other.

"Piper is beautiful and caring and strong. She runs the newspaper in Diamond City," Nora said after she got her breath back, "and she's everything I could have hoped for in a partner."

Vicky leaned her head on her sister's shoulder.

"I'm happy for you, sis. Even if it means you won't be moving in with us."

Their mother stood after they finished eating and turned to MacCready.

"The boats should be getting back in by now. I'll go with you to make sure you're not cheated. We'll leave these two," she looked fondly at her daughters, "to clean up and finish catching up."

The two sisters started collecting the dishes and taking them out to the kitchen.

"Did you ever hear what happened to the others?" Nora asked.

Vicky nodded.

"We heard from Monica eventually, and she had heard from Pablo and Daniel. They all survived the war, but they didn't turn like mami and I did."

"Last I heard you were in Maine. How'd you end up in Plymouth?"

"We stayed there for the first fifty years or so. But it got too dangerous for us, so we left."

"Anti-ghoul sentiment?"

"No, it was the weather. The fog, specifically. Somehow it trapped radiation, and it started turning ghouls feral. We left before it could do it to us too and started making our way south. Plymouth was the first place we came to that was in halfway decent shape, and there were some other ghouls here already, so we settled down here. Been here ever since."

MacCready and Luisa returned a short time later. Nora gave him a questioning look and he nodded in satisfaction.

"We've got a boat. They'll need to gather supplies for the trip, but they said we could leave day after tomorrow."

Vicky grinned and put an arm around Nora's neck, smooshing their faces together.

"So we get to keep you for another day!"


	66. Love Is In the Air

Cait sat on the couch in Publick Occurrences, chatting with Piper, who was doing maintenance on the printer, and elbow-deep in grease and ink. They were interrupted by a very excited Curie clattering down the steps. They looked at her in surprise as she stopped between them, out of breath.

"I…" She gasped, took a deep breath and tried again. "I have made a breakthrough!"

Cait grinned at her.

"I can think of better things to get excited about." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Curie blushed, opened her mouth to respond, then shook her head.

"No, I will not let you derail me!"

Piper leaned back against the printer and pushed a strand of hair away from her face with the back of her hand, accidentally smearing grease across her forehead.

"What's got you so excited, Curie?"

The synth dropped the stern expression she had adopted and smiled.

"I have developed a new strain of mutfruit that can greatly improve the restorative properties of stimpaks!" She smiled brightly at them, then made a deprecating gesture. "I realize this is not earthshaking, but it means inspiration does exist! I begged to become a synth for a reason. For science. To be able to make real progress in the medical arts. I had started to think my mind was simply incapable of that spark of inspiration, but now I see that is not true!"

Piper grinned at her.

"That's great, Curie!"

"More effective stimpaks." Cait sounded impressed. "Sounds handy. We could use some of those."

Curie turned to her with a smile.

"Of course. You might say that our frequent escapades and injuries provided the real inspiration. And you have given me this capacity. And beyond that, so much more. The world is full of life, possibilities. You are very dear to me…" she hesitated, blushing and flustered, and turned to include Piper in the conversation again, "my close friends. And I hope I can return the many favors you have given me."

Piper smiled fondly at her and took a step towards her with her arms held out, before she remembered the state they were in.

"I'm going to go wash up, and then I'm giving you a hug," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Cait cleared her throat awkwardly as Piper disappeared into the small bathroom. Curie turned to her questioningly.

"What we have between us? _Is_ it just friendship?"

Curie looked confused.

"My very first thought in all of this excitement was I must tell you," she said softly. "It wouldn't feel real until I shared it with you. You know… You mean very much… Oh, I am so terrible at this."

Cait took a small step closer to her.

"What were ye going to say?"

Curie looked down.

"I am… afraid to say anything more. I feel a coward."

Cait rubbed at the back of her neck.

"I've.. I don't really know how relationships work. You and Piper and Nora, ye're the first real friends I've ever had, an' I've never been in love before, but what I feel for you, it's different than what I feel for them. I think I love them, but with you it's… I dunno… deeper? Maybe? Ye… ye mean a lot to me too."

She stuffed her hands in her pockets, glancing at Curie's face, but not quite meeting her eyes, afraid to see rejection in them.

Curie's voice was hushed.

"I dared not hope. When we are apart, I guess and second guess. I should be only thinking about this achievement. Instead my thoughts… they linger on you."

Curie smiled shyly, as Cait stepped closer and took one of her hands.

"What d'ye want? From us, I mean."

Curie shook her head.

"I do not know. I also have very little practical knowledge of relationships. And I still struggle with sensations and emotional responses. I have read so many medical textbooks, but none of them covered anything like this. All I know is, I want to be with you."

Cait closed the final distance between them, her free hand reaching up to stroke the side of Curie's face with unwonted tenderness. Curie shivered at the touch and closed her eyes, her breathing becoming shallow. Cait swallowed, her eyes darting between Curie's closed eyes and her parted lips. She hesitated a moment, then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on those lips.

"Well, it's about time!" came a sardonic voice from behind them.

\+ + +

Nora looked over the various pieces on her sister's workbench.

"Are these for you? Or do you sell them?"

"Sell them. I'm the best leather worker in town," she said proudly.

Nora smiled at her.

"And mami? What does she do?"

"Same thing she always did. Electrical engineering. She helps maintain the town's power systems, and she builds and repairs robots." She leaned against the bench with her arms crossed. "What have you been up to since you woke up? I mean, after you tracked down the Institute and found Shaun?"

Nora hesitated.

"I've, uh… I've been working with a few groups in the Commonwealth, like the Minutemen."

MacCready snorted from his seat on the couch on the other side of the room. Vicky looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, then glanced back at Nora, who was blushing. She moved to sit next to him.

"Do tell."

MacCready grinned.

"She hasn't just been working with the Minutemen. She's their freakin' general."

Vicky's jaw dropped and she turned to her sister, whose blush had deepened.

"It's not a big deal. When I was appointed, there were only two of us in the entire group."

Vicky smirked.

"My sister, the general. And here I thought you'd hated being in the military."

Nora sighed.

"The Minutemen aren't military, as such. They're a civilian militia."

Vicky stood and put her arms around her sister.

"Sore point, huh? Sorry for teasing, sis. I'm proud of you. We've gotten some news about the new Minutemen even down here. You've been doing good work."

The day was spent catching up and chatting, and the next morning, all four of them made their way down to the docks at first light. Nora dumped her pack on the boat and returned to embrace her mother and her sister. As she stepped onto the boat, MacCready was surprised to find himself pulled into similar hugs by both women.

"Be careful. We'll see you again when you return."

"Bye, sis!"

They stood on the dock and waved as the boat put out, and Nora and MacCready did the same from the deck, until the two figures faded from sight.

"So… that was interesting." MacCready glanced at her. "Finding family members still alive, I mean."

Nora gave a laugh that was almost a sob and nodded.

"I thought I'd lost everybody." She crossed her arms and looked over at him. "I tried not to think about it too much. I concentrated mostly on Nate and Shaun. It was easier to grieve for just two people. But now… I feel like I got a chunk of my old life back, even if they live a four day's walk away… and I'm not likely to see them again after we go home." 

She sighed. MacCready put an arm around her shoulders and they stood in companionable silence for a few minutes, before turning to speak with the crew of the boat. MacCready introduced her to Richard and Tom Fuller, a father and son, who had been excited to make the trip south.

"How long do you think it'll take us to get there?" Nora asked them.

Richard scratched his stubbly chin, and glanced at his son.

"Reckon it'll be three or four days. We're not familiar with the waters more than about half a day's travel from Plymouth, so we'll only be able to travel during daylight. Wouldn't want to run aground or hit a submerged rock in the dark."

Nora nodded, looking pleased.

"It's a heck of a lot faster than we'd have been able to manage on foot, so that's great." She hesitated for a moment. "I've only gone sailing a couple of times before, so I don't know how helpful I could be, but if there's anything I can do to help, let me know."

Richard looked at her thoughtfully.

"As I said, we're going into unknown territory. Mightn't be a bad idea to have someone on guard duty. Keep an eye out for pirates, wreckers and the like."

Nora and MacCready nodded. 

"Now that we can do," said MacCready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turnabout is fair play.
> 
> And also, Piper ships it.


	67. Seeing the Sights

"What's it like in the Capital Wasteland?"

MacCready looked back over his shoulder at Nora, who was pacing up and down the deck, after a couple of hours of sitting still on the second day of their journey. He shrugged.

"Not too different from the Commonwealth. Maybe more rubble. I know that in certain areas, you have to use the old subway tunnels to get around the piles of rubble. But other than that, yeah, not too different." He looked back out towards the shore, then laughed suddenly. "You wanna talk about different? Point Lookout. That place is weird. If the ferry's not there when we arrive, we are _not_ going inland to explore. I will tell you that right now. Place creeps me out. There's a little abandoned motel just off the boardwalk we can stay in if we need to, but that's as far in as we go. Got it?"

Nora gave him a bemused smile and nodded.

"This is your trip, Mac. Your rules."

He sighed.

"Sorry. I'm just antsy, I guess. Even though I know we're moving faster than we could on foot, I feel like we're not doing anything, and it makes me grumpy."

Nora returned to sit next to him.

"Don't worry about it." She rested her arms on her upraised knees and turned her face into the breeze, breathing in the sea air. "Almost feels like a vacation to me. My family used to go down to the beach nearly every summer when I was a kid." She glanced over at him. "Do you remember your parents?" she asked hesitantly.

He frowned and shrugged.

"Barely. I was about five when they died. Raider attack. One of the houses in the settlement had a basement and they sent all us kids down there when the raiders hit. We stayed there for a couple of days, waiting. Eventually some of the older kids went out, and found all the adults dead, everything useful looted."

"You said you grew up in a cave?"

He nodded.

"Little Lamplight. We'd heard stories of it, a settlement made up entirely of children, so we just started walking. Lost a couple of kids along the way, but most of us made it. Stayed there till I was sixteen. Then I got kicked out."

"Why?"

"Got too old. It was one of the rules. No mungos." He saw the question in her eyes. "Grownups. I don't know where the stories came from, but it was said that when a kid got too old for Little Lamplight, they left and went to Big Town. Way they talked about it, you'd have thought it was paradise."

Nora raised an eyebrow. 

"What was it really like?"

He gave a sharp bark of laughter.

"A few houses surrounded by a junk fence and constantly under attack by super mutants and slavers. About as far from paradise as you could get." He paused. "Though by the time I got there, it was a bit better."

"Oh?"

"There was this mungo. She came by Little Lamplight a few times. One of the few we actually let in, after she rescued a few kids from slavers. Anyway, she'd been to Big Town too, and kinda took them under her wing. Wasn't too much older than the kids there, when she first visited, but she'd grown up in a vault and knew about robots and defenses. She taught them a few things, helped them protect themselves better."

"Was Lucy from Little Lamplight too?"

"Nah. Met her after I moved to Big Town. She was with one of the caravans. Traveling doctor's apprentice." He smiled wistfully. "Don't know what she saw in me, but I'm glad she did."

"So where are we going, once we get off the ferry?"

"Underworld."

Nora laughed.

"That sounds ominous."

He smirked.

"Nah. Just a colony of ghouls in an old museum."

Nora smiled and opened her mouth to respond, but stopped suddenly, looking over his shoulder at the shoreline. He saw her expression and turned with his weapon raised.

"What is it?" He looked around, but didn't see anything suspicious. When he turned back to her, he found her digging through her pack. She pulled out a pair of binoculars and held them up to her eyes.

"Nothing wrong. Just thought I recognized something," she muttered as she adjusted the focus. She lowered them again after a few minutes. "I think that's New York. What's left of it." She sighed and shook her head, returning the binoculars to her pack.

She turned to find him watching her, confused and shrugged.

"As the crow flies, we're about half way there. As the boat sails, though, more like a third."

An hour or so before sunset, they came across another boat. Nora and MacCready called back to the Fullers to let them know. Richard went to join them at the prow, while Tom stayed at the tiller.

"Look like fishermen," he declared after observing them for a few minutes. 

They could see two people on the other boat, watching them warily. Richard raised a hand and waved.

"Ahoy, there!" he called out. "S'there a settlement nearby where we can put in for the night?"

The two on the other boat turned to each other and spoke quietly, before one turned back to them.

"Where're you from?" she called out.

"Well, me and my boy are from Plymouth. These two," he indicated Nora and MacCready, "hail from the Commonwealth." They were close enough now that they could see their eyes widen. "We're ferrying them down to the Capital Wasteland."

The other fishermen glanced at each other, and then back at their boat.

"Not too far from Lantic City. Just follow the coastline. You can't miss it. Should get there before dark."

"Much obliged."

Richard headed back towards Tom to have him start moving closer to shore. Nora smirked.

"Guess we're spending the night in Jersey."

\+ + +

Piper stood in front of the printer looking blankly into the box of type pieces. She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped, spilling the small pieces across the floor. She turned to find a very apologetic-looking Curie.

"Pardon! I spoke to you as I entered, but you did not hear me."

Piper grinned sheepishly and knelt to retrieve the scattered pieces.

"Wow, I was really out of it, huh?" She glanced up and caught Curie's worried look. "I was just thinking."

"Of Nora?"

Piper sat back on her heels.

"Indirectly." She set the box on her lap and fiddled with some of the type pieces. "I was thinking of something she mentioned a few weeks ago."

Curie knelt next to her and started helping her collect the type pieces, glancing at her sidelong.

"It must have been a fascinating conversation, judging by the depth of your thoughts."

Piper laughed.

"We'd been talking about children, and whether we wanted any. She mentioned in passing that scientists in her time had been working on a process that would allow two women to have a child together."

Curie nodded.

"Ah, yes, there were several such processes under development before the war. One of the more promising ones was called in-vitro gametogenesis and involved the creation of gametes using adult body cells." Curie chattered on excitedly about the process and its methodology, stopping suddenly when she realized Piper was giving her a look of blank amusement. 

"You might as well have been speaking a foreign language," Piper said with a grin.

Curie smiled. 

"I am sorry. I find science so exciting, and I forget that not everyone has the base knowledge necessary to appreciate it."

Piper hesitated.

"Is… would it be possible to do this… process… nowadays?"

Curie frowned thoughtfully for a few minutes.

"I believe I have the necessary equipment and supplies to attempt such an experiment. There would be multiple phases, of course. First to see if I could convert skin or muscle cells into stem cells and those stem cells into sperm and ova. And perhaps it would be best to begin with something other than a human. A… mole rat, or a dog, perhaps." She looked seriously at Piper. "Would you like me to make this experiment?"

Piper blushed and looked away.

"I'm… we both want kids, but we haven't really started talking about actually having kids yet. But what she said, it made me wonder, because if we _could_ have a child together…" She trailed off, nervously rearranging the type pieces in the box on her lap.

Curie reached out and patted her arm gently.

"I will begin the experiment. As I said, it will take some time. There will probably be many failures. That is the nature of science. And even if I succeed, we should attempt the procedure on a lower animal first. Nora will have returned long before all of this is completed, and you will be able to discuss further with greater information."

Piper smiled, still looking down at the tray in her lap and nodded.

"Thanks, Curie."


	68. Reaching the Underworld

They reached Point Lookout the next afternoon. MacCready hesitated before disembarking and turned to the Fullers.

"You _will_ be here when we get back, right?"

Richard nodded affably. 

"Don't you worry. Fullers don't go back on their word. We'll do some maintenance and clean up, restock on supplies and be ready when you get back with your youngun."

MacCready nodded and hopped onto the pier. Nora shook Richard's and Tom's hands.

"See you in a few days."

"You be careful out there."

When she turned, she saw MacCready disappearing around the corner of the building on the boardwalk. She jogged to catch up with him.

"Where are we going?"

"Madame Panada's House of Wares. She'll be able to tell us when Nadine's due back."

Madame Panada had set up shop in what appeared to be an old shooting gallery booth, across from the bumper cars. Nora could see a Ferris wheel on the other side of the boardwalk. The woman smiled as they approached.

"Welcome to Madame Panada's House of Wares," she said in a heavily accented voice. "How may I assist you today? Do you require a reading of your future, or are your needs more mundane?"

"Can you tell us when the ferry's due?"

Madame Panada frowned in confusion.

"If you did not come on the ferry, how did you arrive on the island?"

"Different boat. From the north."

"Ah. Should be here within the day."

Nora pulled a few caps from her pocket.

"D'you have any Nuka Colas?"

The woman nodded, Nora held up four fingers and handed one of them to MacCready as they walked back the way they'd come. She returned to the boat and offered two of the drinks to the Fullers, then joined MacCready on a bench facing the water. By sundown the ferry had not yet arrived. Richard and Tom chose to sleep on their boat, but Nora followed MacCready to the motel he had mentioned. 

When they returned to the pier the next morning, the ferry was waiting. Nadine turned out to be a pleasant woman around Nora's own age. She took their fares and they headed out a couple of hours later.

"So, how did you end up as a ferry pilot?" Nora asked her curiously.

The other woman shrugged.

"Kinda fell into it. The guy who was running the ferry before me was into some weird shit, and ended up getting himself killed over it. I came out to Point Lookout looking for adventure and ended up losing a piece of my brain to that creep." She saw Nora's eyes widen and laughed sardonically. "Like I said, weird shit. After that, I was pretty much done with adventure, but I didn't want to go back home to my mother either. No one else stepped forward to claim this tub, so I took it." She patted the console in front of her fondly. "It's been a good life. Point Lookout and just outside the Arlington Library are my starting and ending points, but I'll pick up passengers just about anywhere along the way. People have gotten to know me, and they'll flag me down if they need me to stop. Couple of settlements have set up an actual flag that they'll fly if someone needs the ferry."

They continued chatting as the ferry chugged its way up river. After a while, Nora headed back downstairs and rejoined MacCready on the deck. Nadine had said the trip would take nearly a full day, possibly longer if she had to stop for passengers. Nora pulled a deck of cards from her pack, led MacCready into the cabin, out of the breeze, and taught him a few card games to pass the time. 

They disembarked the next morning. MacCready looked around and shook his head. Nora glanced at him. He shrugged.

"Guess I didn't really believe I'd ever come back."

"How far to this museum?"

He turned back towards the river and pointed across it.

"See that thing that looks like Bunker Hill's big brother?"

"You mean the Washington Monument? So, we're going to one of the museums on the Mall?"

MacCready blinked at her in surprise.

"Uh, yeah." He shook his head. "I keep forgetting you know this stuff from before."

"And I have been to DC before. Came on a school trip when I was a kid, and for a couple of conferences as an adult. Always tried to get in a bit of sightseeing on my downtime." She put her hands on her hips.

He nodded, then gestured north along the riverbank.

"This way. Nearest bridge is just past the Citadel."

They trudged north, until they reached a large fortified building, with Brotherhood soldiers patrolling outside. Nora gaped.

"Wait, the famous Citadel's the Pentagon?" She rolled her eyes. "Of course it is. It's just the sort of place the Brotherhood would occupy."

The bridge MacCready had mentioned was just a few hundred yards past that, and once across, MacCready led her back down the riverbank. Nora hesitated, looking at the Washington Monument, which was nearly directly ahead of them.

"Where are you going? It's this way."

He shook his head.

"The rubble's impassable all along there. Only way to get there is by going underground. This way." He started south again. She sighed and followed.

She grumbled under her breath when she saw the ferry again on the other bank. MacCready glanced back at her.

"She couldn't have dropped us off on this shore, saved us several hours walk?"

He grinned and shrugged. They passed the Jefferson Memorial, and Nora looked around curiously at another group of Brotherhood soldiers guarding and patrolling. She jogged a couple of steps to catch up to MacCready.

"What are they doing here?" she asked him in a low voice.

He glanced at the building.

"Fresh water supply. Group of scientists purified the water in the bay about ten years ago."

She blinked.

"Wait, what?" She stopped and glanced back at the building. "This is where Dr Li worked before she went to the Commonwealth."

MacCready looked at her blankly.

"Oh, right. You haven't met Dr Li."

He turned south again.

"Not too much farther." He tilted his head to one side. "To the station, anyway."

When they finally reached the entrance to the metro station, though, he hesitated. Nora suddenly remembered that his wife had been killed by feral ghouls in a metro station. She put a hand on his arm.

"You going to be OK?"

He gulped and nodded, drawing his rifle before opening the gate. There were no ghouls inside, though they did find a gang of raiders, and quickly dispatched them. MacCready then led her along the northward tunnel by the light of her pip boy, through an access door into a parallel tunnel, and up to a station that opened onto the Mall.

MacCready put a hand on her arm before she could head up the steps and put a finger to his lips.

"This used to be Super Mutant territory. Don't know if it still is. The Brotherhood guards the Monument, so they may have cleared them out by now, but just in case, keep down and keep quiet."

She nodded and followed his lead up the steps and then to the doors of the Museum of History directly behind where they had exited. He took a deep breath as they entered the museum.

"This is it." He led the way across the foyer to the special exhibits hall at the back. "Welcome to Underworld."

A couple dozen ghouls were visible walking and chatting in the hall, and going in and out of the doors along the walls.

"Is this a ghoul only settlement?"

He nodded.

"They have no objection to non-ghoul visitors, though, so long as we behave ourselves."

She followed him up a set of stairs on the right, and through an open door into what appeared to be a restaurant and bunkhouse. The ghoul woman behind the bar smiled broadly when she saw him, came out from behind the bar and embraced him.

"MacCready! Welcome back!" She called over her shoulder. "Greta, come see who's here!" She put her hands on his shoulders and looked him over. "You're looking good, kid."

"How's Duncan?"

She smiled.

"He's a lot better since you sent us that cure for him."

Another ghoul woman entered the room and also embraced MacCready delightedly. He glanced back at Nora once Greta let him go and gestured her forward.

"This is my friend Nora. Nora, this is Carol and Greta. They're the friends who've been watching Duncan for me." He looked back at them. "Where is he?"

"He was helping Winthrop, last I saw him," Carol said.

"I'll go find him for you," Greta said.

MacCready looked nervously at Carol.

"He's really better, though?"

She nodded. 

"He's been running around the place chatting with everybody, asking questions." She glanced between him and Nora. "You two planning on settling down with him near here?"

He glanced at Nora in surprise, then back at Carol. 

"Uh, no. We're just friends. And… I'm taking him back to the Commonwealth with me." Carol's face fell. "I can't stay here, Carol. Not without Lucy. Only reason I didn't take Duncan with me in the first place was because he was too weak to make the journey."

She nodded.

"We'll miss the kid." She sniffed, and gave him a watery smile. "I expect letters. I want to know how he's doing."

He smiled and nodded. 

"Here we are. Look who's here, Duncan."

Nora and MacCready turned. Nora blinked. She wasn't sure what she'd expected, but Duncan was tiny. He appeared to be no more than three or four. She glanced at MacCready, who knelt in front of the boy.

"Hey, kiddo. Do you remember me? Do you know who I am?"

Duncan half hid behind Greta, looking at him shyly.

"Daddy." He whispered.

MacCready smiled. 

"That's right. I'm your daddy. Do you think maybe I could get a hug?"

The little boy held out his arms. MacCready picked up his son and held him tightly.


	69. Leaving the Underworld

Nora joined MacCready next to Duncan's bed later that evening, after the boy had fallen asleep.

"How old is he?"

MacCready ran a gentle hand through his son's hair.

"Five." He frowned. "He… hasn't really grown much while I've been away. I guess because he's been sick."

Nora gave him a worried look.

"He's not going to be able to walk very far for very long." MacCready opened his mouth to protest, but Nora held up a hand. "We need to figure out a way to carry or transport him. It would take us months to get back home at his pace."

MacCready nodded.

"I figured I'd carry him."

Nora raised an eyebrow.

"That might work for the trek back to the ferry, but even as little as he is, you're going to get worn out really quickly carrying him from Plymouth to the Commonwealth. Even if I carry your pack or we trade off carrying him." She shook her head. "We need a better way." She pursed her lips and looked off into the distance for a few minutes. "I wonder…"

"What?"

She looked around.

"Well, this was a history museum. I wonder if there are any First Nations exhibits left." MacCready gave her a confused look. "The First Nations were the people who lived here when the European colonists first arrived. They used to build these sort of frame backpacks to carry their children in when they were small. Something like that would be more comfortable than just carrying him on your hip or piggy back."

He nodded thoughtfully and stood, beckoning her to follow.

"If anyone would know, it's Carol. She's pre-war, like you."

They made their way back to the bar, and Nora explained what they were looking for. Carol looked at her in surprise.

"Not many people remember the First Nations."

"Nora's also pre-war. She got frozen by Vault-tec."

Carol nodded understandingly, then stopped to think.

"I think there might be something useful in one of the other exhibit halls, but it would be best if Greta and I went to get it for you." She continued when she saw their questioning looks. "The other wings are full of ferals. They won't bother other ghouls, but they'd be on you like dinner."

Nora grimaced and nodded.

"We'll leave it to you, then. Thanks."

When they woke the next morning, they found a selection of cradle boards laid out on the bar. Nora looked through them carefully and picked up the largest one. 

"The leather's rotting away, but the framework's still sturdy. We can use this as a base and add new straps."

They spent a fair part of the day experimenting with the cradle board, until they had something that was comfortable for both Duncan and MacCready. 

That night they had dinner with Carol, Greta and several other ghouls who had cared for Duncan during his stay in Underworld, and the next morning, they headed back down into the subway tunnels, with Duncan strapped safely to his father's back, and Nora's pack stuffed with more than half of what MacCready had been carrying in his.

The journey back to the ferry was uneventful. No new raiders had moved in yet to replace the ones they had killed on the way in. Nadine had promised to wait a week before heading back to Point Lookout, so they knew wouldn't have to camp out on the dock waiting for her.

Back at Point Lookout the next day, the Fuller's greeted them eagerly, making a big fuss over young Duncan. After thanking Nadine and making their farewells, the group set sail towards Plymouth once more.

\+ + +

"I'm bored!" Cait stomped through the house and flopped onto the couch. 

Curie, who'd been reading in one of the armchairs, and Piper, who was preparing lunch exchanged glances.

"We haven't left Diamond City in days! Can't we go beat up some super mutants or raiders or somethin'?" She looked over at Piper. "Don't you have any stories you need to investigate?" She turned to Curie. "Or maybe some supplies to collect? Somethin', anythin'! I'm goin' mad!"

"I have been thinking of returning to Vault 81 to consult with Doctor Forsythe on my current research. I also would like to visit Hangman's Alley to collect a tissue sample from the dog there."

Cait sat up and smacked her thighs. 

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!"

Piper shrugged.

"I could stand to get out of town for a while."

Cait grinned and stood. 

"Well, what are we waitin' for?"

Piper raised an amused eyebrow and indicated the pan she was stirring on the stove. 

"I thought we might eat lunch first?"

They started out after lunch. They hadn't gone very far towards Vault 81, before they heard a woman's voice calling for help. As they got closer, they saw a woman standing outside a building with a red door and a sign that read "Hardware Town" above it. When she saw them, she opened the door.

"She's in here! Please hurry!" And disappeared into the building.

Piper drew her gun, and Cait rolled her eyes.

"Ye're as bad as Nora."

"You're the one who wanted something to do. Whether there's really someone in there who needs help, or it's a trap, you'll get to bash some heads together."

Cait grinned.

"Fair point." She pulled her baseball bat off the holder on her back and headed towards the door, glancing back at Curie. "Stay behind us, darlin'."

Curie, gripping her own small pistol, nodded.

They paused just inside the doors to let their eyes adjust to the dimness, and as they waited, they could hear voices towards the back of the building. Cait held a finger up to her lips, and crept forward, listening.

"I told you to bring 'em in through the basement!" 

"Shut up, they're headed this way now. Be ready!" came a second voice.

Piper and Cait wound their way through the shelving units towards the back of the store.

"What's taking so long?" They heard the first voice again.

"Maybe they went around back. Should we check the loading dock?" This was a new voice.

Behind the counter, they found a closed door. The voices were coming from the other side of it.

"We've got two guys out there already. They'll take care of them if they went that way. Now just shut up!" said the second raider.

Piper moved back behind the counter facing the door, while Cait crept up to the door.

"Maybe you should go check it out."

Cait quickly flattened herself against the wall next to the door as it opened. A raider came through with a pistol in his hands. Cait waited until he had passed her, raised her bat and smashed it down on his head. It made a sickening crunch and he fell without a sound. The raiders behind him came barreling through the door. Piper popped up from behind the counter and shot the first one in the head, while Cait smashed her bat down on the third one's weapon hand, then backhanded him across the face. This left the woman they had followed in, who looked in horror between her dead companions and Cait and Piper. She screamed in rage and ran out of the door, only to have her face burned off by Curie's laser pistol.

Cait peeked through the open door, then relaxed. 

"Looks like that was all of them."

Curie swallowed hard and holstered her pistol. Piper patted her on the arm.

"You OK?"

She nodded shortly.

"I do not enjoy violence."

Cait walked over to her and took her hand.

"She'd have killed us if you hadn't."

Curie nodded.

"I know. But I still do not enjoy it."

They started to explore the warehouse behind the shop. Cait wrinkled her nose as they went further back.

"What's that smell?"

Curie sniffed delicately.

"It is the smell of decomposition."

Cait shook her head.

"All these fridges an' they don't have the sense to keep their food from rotting?"

"Oh, god." Piper had walked ahead and now backed up with one hand over her mouth, the other pressed to her stomach. "It's not their food. God, I hope it's not their food." She returned to them and tried to prevent them from moving forward. "We're not the first people they've lured in here," she explained.

Cait's eyes narrowed.

"They said there were two more out back. I think we should take care of them before we leave."

Piper nodded and the three of them headed back the way they'd come. After dealing with the two raiders on the loading dock, they continued on to Vault 81, where Curie spent a few pleasant hours discussing her research with Doctor Forsythe and Rachel. 

They spent the night there, and headed back towards Diamond City the next morning, bypassing it and stopping at Hangman's Alley first.

Curie spoke with the settlers there, and got permission to take a few tissue samples from their guard dog, Ranger. When they got back to Diamond City, she made a beeline for her lab in Publick Occurrences, and they didn't see her again for the rest of the day.


	70. Returning Home

They had to spend a full day in Lantic City on the way back. A radstorm blew in, making continuing the voyage too dangerous. All five of them huddled together inside one of the old casinos with a number of the settlers waiting for the storm to pass.

Other than that, their return journey was uneventful, and they docked in Plymouth late one evening about two weeks after they'd left. They thanked the Fullers for their help, gave them the remainder of their pay, and then headed to Nora's family's house.

Her mother beamed when she opened the door to find them there. She hugged Nora and MacCready, opened her arms to Duncan and then solemnly shook his hand when the little boy offered that instead of a hug. Vicky joined them in the doorway and pulled them into the apartment. 

"How'd it go?" She winked at Duncan. "Beyond the obvious."

MacCready nodded.

"Pretty straightforward, all things considered."

Luisa immediately went into the kitchen and started preparing some food for them. MacCready looked after her then glanced at Nora and Vicky.

"Does she always do that?"

They grinned at each other and nodded.

"Food's her love language," Vicky said.

"She's convinced nobody eats well if she's not there to make sure they do," Nora added.

"I can hear you," came their mother's voice from the kitchen, and they both dissolved into giggles.

That night, Vicky sat on the edge of her bed waiting for Nora to finish changing. Nora raised an eyebrow questioningly when she turned and saw her. 

"Mami and I talked it over. We're coming with you back to the Commonwealth."

Nora's eyes widened.

"Y-you are?"

Vicky smiled hesitantly.

"If you'll have us…" She trailed off, then started again. "We thought we'd lost you, sis. We don't want to lose you again now that we've found you."

Nora sat next to her sister and hugged her tightly.

"Me neither. I was dreading leaving you behind."

After a few moments, they pulled apart and got into bed facing each other, as they had so many times during their childhood.

"So, this Diamond City where you live. What's it like?"

Nora chuckled.

"It's Fenway." Vicky made a disbelieving face. "It's true! They built a shantytown inside Fenway." She hesitated. "But they don't allow ghouls in there. The mayor's kind of a bastard and he kicked them all out several years ago. Only reason I bought a house there was to be near Piper. But there's a Minutemen settlement a few blocks away that has some living space available. There's only a handful of people living there so far."

It took Luisa and Vicky a few days to pack up what they intended to take with them and sell or otherwise dispose of what they were leaving behind. Quite a few townspeople were on hand to see them off the morning they left, waving to the ghoul women until the group was out of sight.

The return trip took longer than the trip out. They were a larger group and were more heavily laden than Nora and MacCready had been on their way out. When they reached Warwick Homestead several days later, Nora radioed ahead to Hangman's Alley and asked them to send a runner to Diamond City to let Piper know they were nearly home.

They reached Hangman's Alley late the next day. Nora waved at the settler on guard at the entrance, patted Ranger as they passed and nearly got knocked over by a ten-year-old launching herself at her.

"Nora!"

Nora grinned and spun the girl around before depositing her back on the ground and tousling her hair.

"Hey, kiddo! Miss me?"

Nat leaned against her and nodded. 

"Hey, I want you to meet some people."

Nora took her hand and led her back to where Vicky and Luisa were helping MacCready take off the cradle board and release Duncan.

"Nat, this is my mother, Luisa, and my sister Vicky. And this is MacCready's son, Duncan. Mami, sis, this is Nat, Piper's little sister."

Nat glanced between her and the two ghouls doubtingly.

"For real? No kidding?"

Nora nodded seriously.

"For real." She looked around. "Where's Piper?"

"She was up in your storeroom."

Nora turned to the others.

"I'll be right back."

She left them to get to know each other and started jogging up the stairs in the nearby apartment building, nearly colliding with Piper coming down the second flight. Nora regained her balance, joined Piper on the little landing, and put her arms around her with a contented sigh. She felt Piper's smile against the side of her face.

"I was coming to look for you. I heard Nat call your name." Her arms tightened around Nora. "God, I missed you, Blue."

Nora pulled away and raised a hand to stroke the side of Piper's face. 

"I missed you too." She leaned in to kiss her, and they lost track of time for a while, until they were interrupted by an exasperated childish voice.

"I _told_ you they'd be making out."

They pulled apart to find Nat rolling her eyes, hands on her hips, with a grinning Vicky, a fondly indulgent Luisa and a red-faced MacCready with Duncan in his arms, behind her. Nora took Piper's hand, intertwining their fingers and led her down the steps to the waiting group. Piper smiled at MacCready and Duncan, and looked questioningly between Nora and the two ghoul women.

"Piper, I'd like you to meet my mother, Luisa." She held out her hand to her mother, who stepped forward, as Piper turned to Nora in shock. "Mami, this is my girlfriend, Piper."

Piper turned to Luisa.

"You're…?" She turned to Nora. "She's…?" Nora grinned and nodded. Piper turned back to Luisa. "I'm… it's very nice to meet you." She held out her hand, but Luisa pulled her into a hug.

"It is very good to meet you as well, my dear."

As she stepped back, Vicky stepped forward and also pulled Piper into a hug. Piper gave Nora a wide-eyed look over Vicky's shoulder. Nora smirked.

"And that's my younger sister, Vicky."

Vicky pulled back and smiled at her. 

"Sorry. I got over-excited. It's just that I never thought I'd see this day. My sister in love." She pronounced 'lurve' and smirked at Nora as she said it, who rolled her eyes and smacked her lightly on the arm and put her arm around Piper's waist.

"At least give her a chance to get to know you before you start razzing her."

Piper snorted.

"Why should she be any different than her older sister?"

Nora made a face of mock outrage and they all laughed.

"Anyway, Mami, you've got your choice of living spaces. There's no one living in this building yet, and there's still room in the one across the way where the other settlers have set up."

She led the group into the various rooms, some of which she had started dividing up into smaller apartments. Vicky and Luisa decided on one of the apartments on the third floor of that building, just below the area Nora used as her storeroom. 

Nora glanced back at MacCready. 

"Have you decided where you and Duncan are going to live?"

He smirked.

"Since you don't have any cave settlements, I was thinking of setting up here too. It's closer to the action than somewhere like Sanctuary Hills, and it's close enough to Diamond City that I could walk Duncan to school there every day."

Nora smiled and nodded.

"Sounds good. Let's do something about beds."

She led them down to the ground level to a small room at the back of the settlement where she and the settlers who went out scavenging stored useful materials. They found several mattresses stored away, and enough cinder blocks and plywood sheets to make temporary bed frames for everyone. This done, Nora led the group into the communal dining hall to introduce the settlers to their new neighbors.

Though wary of the two ghoul women at first, they quickly warmed to them when they learned of the skills they'd be bringing to the settlement. One of the settlers took Luisa out to look at a malfunctioning turret, and returned beaming with her a few minutes later to announce that she had fixed it in no time flat.

When dusk fell, Nora, Piper and Nat made their farewells, promising to return the next day to help the newcomers settle in. As they started towards Diamond City, Nat slipped her hand into Nora's. Nora smiled down at her.

"So what's new and exciting since I've been gone?"

Nat looked up at her thoughtfully.

"There's a new family in town."

"Oh, yeah?"

Nat nodded.

"They're living in Pete Pembroke's old house, now that his family's moved to the upper stands. They've got a couple of kids called George and Anna. George is only little, but Anna's nearly the same age as me."

Nat chattered about things that had happened during Nora's absence for the whole walk home. When they entered Home Plate, they found Cait and Curie kissing on the couch. Nora blinked.

"Well, this is new."

Nat made a gagging noise ran off to her bedroom, as Cait abruptly pulled away from Curie and stood up, leaving Curie looking confused.

"We… we weren't… Ye're back."

Nora chuckled, dropped her pack on the floor, moved to the couch, pulled Curie to her feet and hugged her.

"I'm very happy for you," she murmured in her ear. Curie blushed and smiled shyly.

She beckoned to Cait and headed down the hall. The redhead followed, looking like she was expecting at best a tongue lashing, at worst a beating. Out of sight of the others, Nora turned to face her, looking concerned.

"What's going on?"

Cait raised her arms defensively.

"I promise, we weren't…"

Nora cut her off.

"That’s not what I’m talking about, Cait. I'm not your mother. You're an adult who can make her own decisions. Why do you feel like you have to explain yourself?"

Cait frowned.

"This is yer house, and I work for ye."

Nora sighed and shook her head.

"Cait, no. You're my friend and my partner, not my employee. And this is as much your and Curie's home as it is mine and Piper's and Nat's." She smirked. "You have just as much right to make out with your girlfriend on the couch as anyone else who lives here, with the exception of Nat, who's entirely too young."

Cait blushed hotly and stuffed her hands in her pockets, looking down. Nora bumped shoulders with her lightly.

"Hey, I'm just teasing." 

Cait nodded.

"I'm just not used to it."

"Teasing? We tease you all the time."

Cait shook her head.

"Havin' a girlfriend."

Nora blinked.

"Is… is this your first time with a girl? Or your first time period?" She gave her a horrified look. "Oh, god, am I going to have to give you the sex talk?"

Cait rolled her eyes and huffed.

"No, course not. It's… just… the first time it's mattered. The first time it's been more than convenience or a quick one timer." She gulped. "The first time I've cared. What if I mess it up?" she finished in a whisper.

"Oh, Cait." Nora pulled her into a hug. "Talk to each other. I know it's not your thing, talking about your feelings, but you're going to have to with Curie. Talk to her about everything. Especially since she's still learning how to be human." She pulled back and looked seriously at Cait, who nodded.

Nora grabbed her head and leaned in to kiss her forehead with a loud 'mwah'. Cait grimaced and pulled away with a noise of disgust, rubbing at the spot with the back of her hand. Nora smirked, then touched her arm lightly with a more sincere smile. "I really am happy for both of you."

Cait blushed and ducked her head, smiling slightly. Nora turned her around and shoved her lightly back towards the living room. 

"Everything OK?" Piper asked as they appeared.

Nora nodded with a smile as Cait rejoined Curie and took her hand. Curie beamed at her.

Nora picked up her pack and glanced at Piper. 

"I'm going to unpack."

Piper nodded and kissed her lightly.

"I'll be right up."

Piper went into the kitchen and pulled out a box of snack cakes and a small candle she'd found while scavenging with Nora some weeks earlier. She grabbed a couple of beers, stuck the candle in the cake, lit it, and headed up the stairs, to find Nora sprawled on the bed fast asleep, her pack open but still full next to her.

Piper smiled fondly and placed the plate and the beers on the bedside table, sat next to Nora and leaned over to kiss her cheek. Nora blinked.

"M'awake."

Piper grinned and ran a hand through her hair. 

"You're exhausted, is what you are."

Nora yawned and rubbed her face.

"Yeah, I guess I am." She sat up. "What's this?" She indicated the little cake and the candle.

Piper smiled and shrugged.

"We missed your birthday while you were gone. Cake with candles, right?"

Nora smiled and kissed her. Piper pulled back.

"So, now that you've got your candle, what are you supposed to do with it?"

"I make a wish and blow it out." Nora closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and blew out the candle. 

Piper looked at her expectantly.

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What did you wish for?"

Nora grinned and wrinkled her nose.

"Not allowed to tell, or it won't come true."

She plucked the candle out of the cake and broke the cake in half, holding one half up to Piper.

"Aah," she said. Piper opened her mouth obediently and Nora stuffed the whole thing in, giggling. Piper collapsed against the bed laughing, with one hand covering her mouth, her cheeks bulging, trying not to spew the cake across the room. 

She reached for the other half of the cake in Nora's hand, trying to retaliate, but Nora held it out of reach in her other hand. 

"You are in so much trouble," she said as soon as she was able to.

"I thought you liked snack cakes," Nora responded through her giggles.

Piper resorted to tickling and Nora dropped her hand with a shriek of laughter. Piper triumphantly plucked the piece of cake out of Nora's hand and held it up in front of her. Nora grinned and opened her mouth. Piper broke the cake into smaller pieces and fed them to her delicately. When she'd finished, she took Nora's face in her hands and kissed her tenderly.

"Happy birthday, Blue."


	71. A Growing Family

"Hey, Blue?" 

Nora turned from the dresser, the clean clothes she'd been reaching for in her hands. Piper was sitting cross-legged on the bed.

"Hmm?"

"I… there's something I need to tell you."

Nora dropped the clothes on the end of the bed and sat across from Piper.

"Something wrong?"

Piper shook her head.

"N-no. I just… I did something while you were gone and I needed to tell you about it."

"OK." She smiled. "Did you get a story out of it?"

Piper shook her head again and took a deep breath.

"D'you remember a few weeks ago you mentioned some research scientists in your time had been working on that would have let two women have a baby?"

Nora laughed.

"Did you become a scientist while I was gone and figure it out?"

"I, uh… mentioned it to Curie. She thinks she may be able to figure it out."

Nora's eyes widened.

"She does?" Piper nodded. "So… we'd be able to…"

"If she figures it out, yeah. She's trying it out on a dog first."

Nora blinked suddenly and shook her head.

"Sorry, we're actually talking about having kids, aren't we."

Piper looked down and fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"Is it something you'd want? We haven't really discussed it beyond that conversation." She glanced up, half afraid of what she'd see in Nora's face.

Nora gave her a blinding smile.

"Pipes, I married a man I wasn't in love with for the chance to have a child. How much more do you think I'd want this with someone I do love?"

Piper leaned forward and rested her forehead against Nora's.

"Should we really be discussing it, though, when there are so many kids already out there who need families? And with the Institute looming over us? The timing's not exactly ideal."

Nora angled her head forward and kissed the tip of Piper's nose.

"I mean, I'm not sure I'm the one to ask for advice on this," she answered with a wry grin. "There were any number of war orphans we could have adopted in my day too, and we had nuclear annihilation hanging over our heads. And yet, Nate and I still chose to have a child of our own." She sighed and sat up straight, reaching for Piper's hand. "I want children. I always have. I'm not saying we should rule out adoption, but if we have the option of having a child together, I'd like to."

Piper smiled, leaned forward and kissed her.

"And hey," Nora added with a smirk when they pulled apart, "asexual reproduction? That's right up my alley."

Piper snorted and smacked her arm lightly. 

"Doofus."

\+ + +

Piper turned off the water, wrapped her hair in a towel and reached for her bathrobe. As she left the bathroom, she smiled at a bleary-eyed Cait, who'd been waiting her turn just outside the door, and headed up the stairs.

Nora was pulling the bedclothes straight and glanced at her with a smile as she entered the room.

"What do you have planned for today?"

Nora straightened up.

"I need to check in with Dez, let her know I'm back. Also…" she rubbed her hands on her thighs nervously. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you. A favor."

"Judging by your nervousness, it must be a heck of a favor."

"I was wondering how you'd feel about bringing Dogmeat down from Sanctuary. I'd always intended to bring him here once I got settled, but things have moved faster between us than I originally expected, and then I went off with MacCready. This is your and Nat's home too now, and you should get a vote in this."

Piper felt a surge of affection for her, and grinned widely.

"That's it?"

Nora nodded, looking hopeful at Piper's reaction.

"Yes, of course we can go get Dogmeat. Nat'll be thrilled." 

Nora grinned delightedly and hugged Piper.

"D'you want to come with me? We can stop by the Railroad first, and then head to Sanctuary after that, if you don't have other plans?"

Piper nodded.

"Let's go get a dog."

\+ + +

"Ah, Eighty-six, you're back, good. I have someone here who wants to meet you."

Nora and Piper had only just walked in when Desdemona called Nora over. Standing next to her was a bald, dark-skinned man with a van-dyke beard. He smiled widely and held a hand out to her.

"So you're the famous Eighty-six. You really saved our asses."

Nora's eyes widened as she shook his hand.

"Wait, I know your voice. Mister Tims?"

His smile broadened and he pumped her hand a couple of times before releasing it.

"That's me. Everyone at Randolph owes you."

"Is Randolph Safehouse OK?"

His face fell.

"No. We got orders to abandon it. We heard the bastards that took down Switchboard also got Herkimer and Allen, so they might've been closing on Randolph as well. You saw us through some really dark times. My team's going to be hunting for a new safe house. Knowing how paranoid my runner is, it'll take a while."

Nora clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good luck, and good to finally meet you."

"Take care."

Nora turned to Piper as Mr Tims stepped away.

"Let me check in with Tom and then I'll be ready to go."

"You're back! Hey, I still have some more MILA's to place if you're up for it."

Nora nodded.

"Yeah, sure."

"Great! Let me mark the locations on your map."

She unbuckled her pip boy and handed it to him.

"Oh, hey, by the way, those DIA caches you found had some serious high tech." He started bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet. "But the creme de la creme is ballistic polymer weave. Lightweight, serious stopping power, and it can be applied to normal clothing. Wanna take a look?"

Nora nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, let me see what you've got."

Tom handed her back her pip boy and pulled out a few items of clothing that had had the weave applied to them, a leather jacket and jeans, a mechanic's jumpsuit, a bathrobe, and showed her how they had applied the weave as an interior lining. Nora looked thoughtfully at the clothes.

"Hey, do you have any of the fiber just by itself? Or, could you do a special request?"

"Either or, man. What'd you have in mind?"

Nora looked over at Piper, who was chatting with Glory on the other side of the room, and pointed with her chin. 

"Her trench coat."

Tom started across the room, with Nora following him. When he got close to Piper, he reached for a corner of the trench coat, but Nora grabbed his hand, as Piper and Glory looked at him in surprise.

"Boundaries, Tom. Ask first." 

"Oh, right. Sorry. Got carried away. Can I see your coat for a second?"

Piper glanced between him and Nora questioningly.

"What's going on?"

"They found plans for making ballistic weave in the DIA caches. It can be applied to regular clothes, and serves as armor."

Piper raised an eyebrow.

"And you want to put it on my coat?"

Nora shrugged apologetically.

"I was going to ask first, but yeah. Come on, Piper, you refuse to wear armor, and this way, you'll still be able to wear your favorite coat. Look, before you say yes or no, come see some of the clothes they've already put it on so you can see what it looks like and how it feels."

"I've seen some of the tests they've done with it," Glory said. "It's good stuff. I've been thinking of getting a shirt with it, to wear under my armor for extra protection."

In the end, Piper agreed to have the fiber added to her coat, and let Tom examine it. He agreed that the coat was a good candidate and sold Nora some lengths of the ballistic weave fabric so they could apply it themselves later on.

\+ + +

Piper glanced at Nora as they left the Railroad Headquarters.

"I didn't realize you worried that much about me not wearing armor."

Nora took her hand.

"Always, Pipes. I may not show it on the outside, but the Commonwealth freaks me out. I try not to think too much about being constantly surrounded by death, because if I did, I'd probably hyperventilate and spend the rest of my life holed up in Home Plate. But yeah, it worries me that you walk around unprotected."

Piper pulled on her hand and kissed her cheek once it was in range.

"You're sweet, and I'll try to be more careful."

Nora squeezed her hand.

"Thanks, Pipes."

"So, did Tom give you any more of those little machines of his?"

"Yeah, two more. I'll deal with them after we get Dogmeat." 

They stopped for lunch at Oberland Station, and stopped as well at Greygarden and Starlight Drive-in, dropping off a letter at the latter from Jane and Maggie, the two original settlers from Oberland. 

Piper gaped when they reached the Red Rocket truck stop just outside Sanctuary. The last time she'd been there, the place had been abandoned, but now it appeared to have been set up as a Minutemen outpost. Nora confirmed it when she asked her about it.

"Yeah, all the patrols for the settlements in this quadrant are organized from here, and there's a garrison of full-time Minutemen here, and also the farmers and workers from the nearby settlements who rotate out quarterly."

Piper pulled out her notebook and made some notes. Nora smiled fondly at her.

"Reporter mode engaged."

Piper wrinkled her nose at her.

Dogmeat rushed to meet them before they'd even finished crossing the bridge into Sanctuary Hills and gave them an ecstatic greeting. Nora crouched down to hug him, head raised to avoid the worst of his slobbery kisses.

"Hi, buddy. I missed you too. Hey, Dogmeat, where's Preston? Huh? Find Preston."

The dog cocked his head, and took off down the street. Nora stood, wiping slobber from her neck and Piper grinned. 

"After that walk, you needed a bath."

"Hey, now!"

They followed Dogmeat down the street, taking in the new and unfamiliar faces that surrounded them. Nora stopped when she saw a face she recognized.

"Sturges!"

The young man looked over and grinned widely when he saw them.

"Hey, long time no see, Nora." He walked over and gave her a brief hug, then turned to Piper. "Miss Piper, pleasure to see you again."

Piper smiled.

"Hi, Sturges."

"So what brings you back to Sanctuary?"

"I came to get Dogmeat. I've got a place in Diamond City and I'm pretty much done with the renovations, so I thought it was time to come get him."

"We'll miss the fur-ball. He's a good guard dog."

"I also have something I want to talk to you and Preston about. Do you have a minute? I was going to go find him now."

Sturges nodded and fell into step beside them. Nora looked around and saw Dogmeat waiting impatiently a little way down the road and started following him again. They found Preston in Rosa's old house, chatting with Mama Murphy. They both turned when the three of them entered, and Mama Murphy gave Preston a smug look.

"What'd I tell ya? I knew she was coming."

Preston gave her a worried look.

"I don't like when you take chems, Mama Murphy. They're gonna kill you one of these days." 

She waved him off.

"Nah, kid. Ain't taken nothing recently. This wasn't a full vision, just a peek." She walked over to Nora, hugged her, pulled away and put her hands on either side of Nora's face. "You found him, didn't you?" She frowned. "Oh, kid. I'm sorry." She pulled her into a hug again and held her for a few moments. She looked over at Piper as she pulled away again, and smiled brightly, looking between her and Nora. "Oh, but you're rebuilding your family. Good for you, kid. Be good to each other."

Piper looked at Mama Murphy wide-eyed, while Nora laughed and wiped her damp eyes. Preston and Sturges glanced between the three of them silently and appeared to be trying to disappear into the background.

"Well, I see you have important things to talk about, so I'm going to work in the garden for a while. Come find me later, kid. We'll chat." 

The old woman walked out of the house and Preston stepped forward.

"Welcome back, General. Good to see you again, Miss Piper."

"Hi, Preston. Sanctuary's looking great. You've done a wonderful job."

He ducked his head.

"Well, you got us started, and you've kept us organized and motivated. So, what brings you here?"

"We came to pick up Dogmeat, but there's something I need to talk to you about too." She glanced back at Sturges. "Both of you. Can we sit? It's not a short story."

He nodded and they sat around the dining room table. Nora started explaining about the search for her son, what she had found at the Institute, and her involvement with the Railroad and the Brotherhood of Steel. Preston and Sturges listened mostly in stunned silence, asking the occasional question.

As she finished her story, Nora sighed.

"Both these groups want to destroy the Institute. And I'm not entirely sure they're wrong, but I have no interest in killing innocent people. I don't know that either group will care about the collateral damage, both within the Institute and in the Commonwealth. I just wanted to have you both in on this so we can have more options if it comes to war. The Minutemen are the one group I know for sure care about the people of the Commonwealth and not just an ideal or a subset." She reached into a pocket and pulled out a holotape, holding it out to Sturges. "This is a copy of the Institute's main database. I got Tom to make me another copy of it. He said the encryption on it is very strong, and they're more interested in my interactions with the synths in the Institute than in the data, but I thought if anyone could crack it, it would be you."

Sturges nodded and took the holotape.

"I'll see what I can figure out."

Preston stood. "Thanks for telling us all this. Keep us in the loop. We'll help however we can." 

"Thanks, Preston."


	72. Liberty Reprimed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines lend a helping hand

When Piper woke she found she was alone in the bed. She yawned and sat up. When she peeked through the cracks in the boarded up window she was surprised to find that it was broad daylight. She heard footsteps coming down the hall and turned to see Nora enter the room carrying two steaming mugs. She sat beside Piper and held one of the mugs out to her.

"Black, four sugars." Nora shuddered. "Makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it."

Piper reached for the mug, but Nora pulled it back, pursing her lips and leaning her face expectantly towards Piper, who grinned, kissed her and made grabbing motions with her hands.

“Gimme!”

Nora laughed and handed her the mug. She took a sip and sighed contentedly.

"I can't believe we slept this late."

"Speak for yourself, missy. I've been up for a couple of hours, helping Mama Murphy build a greenhouse."

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you. I figured you needed the rest." She leaned over and kissed the side of Piper's head. "Have you met the Abernathy's?"

Piper shook her head.

"They have a farm not too far from here. They have a build day planned for tomorrow to roof over the top floor of their house so they can turn it into a bunkhouse for the new folks coming into their area. You interested?"

"Sure. What were you going to do today?"

"I was going to go back to Red Rocket with Preston and talk Minutemen stuff – make sure our maps match, make plans for new outposts, stuff like that. Other than that, I thought we could just have a holiday today."

Piper yawned and took another sip of her coffee.

"A holiday sounds nice."

"Oh, and on the way home I want to stop at the Cambridge Police Station. I've been carrying around that haptic drive Haylen asked me to retrieve for over a week now." Nora patted Piper's leg. "I'm going to go make breakfast."

Piper nodded, finished off her coffee and handed Nora the mug as she stood.

"I'll be right out."

\+ + +

Piper spent most of the day with Mama Murphy. She found the old woman equal parts confusing and intriguing. Mama Murphy kept up a constant stream of good-natured chatter about everyone in the settlement. Piper learned that Marcy and Jun Long had adopted a two-year-old orphaned girl. Her parents had been killed by raiders during the trip, and though the other settlers in their party had cared for her until they reached Sanctuary Hills, they had gladly ceded her care to the Longs when they showed an interest in taking her, having families of their own to look after.

"Marcy's still as snarky as ever with everyone else, but it's nice to see how different she is with Jun and little Amelia. And Jun's a changed man. He's still grieving for Kyle, obviously, but having someone who needs him has given him a reason to get up in the mornings."

She learned that Sturges had been courting one of the new settlers, a young woman named Natasha, who had set herself up as the settlement's medic. Her parents had been caravan guards to a travelling doctor further north and she had spent her childhood soaking up everything the doctor had been willing to teach her. Her father had recently been injured in an attack on the caravan, and the family had decided it was time to settle down, and had headed to Sanctuary Hills after hearing stories of the resurgence of the Minutemen in the Commonwealth. Her mother was part of the permanent garrison at the Red Rocket truck stop, one of a handful not quartered there, and her father, who had been left with a permanent limp after the attack, was one of the settlement guards.

By the end of the afternoon, Piper knew the backstories of nearly every resident of Sanctuary Hills. She felt like she knew more about these people she had barely met than about her neighbors in Diamond City.

The build day at the Abernathy's was a new experience for Piper. In addition to the half-dozen folks that went down from Sanctuary Hills, there were also groups from Starlight Drive-in, Tenpines Bluff and Outpost Zimonja. The group quickly removed the existing roof, put in a new floor and then replaced the roof above it. The Abernathy's had several bed frames ready to be assembled for their new settlers, and by mid-afternoon, the job was completed. In anticipation of the event, Blake Abernathy and his daughter Lucy had gone hunting and brought down a couple of radstags. They had been roasting all morning, and the scent of the roasted meat had spurred the workers to finish faster, so they could get to the feast. Even Dogmeat got to partake, getting a nice big shin bone to gnaw on. The Sanctuary Hills folks headed home just before dusk, but Piper, Nora and the settlers from the farther settlements spent the night in the new bunkhouse and headed out early the next morning.

\+ + +

"Haylen, I got that piece of tech you were after."

The young scribe turned with a bright smile. 

"That's great. Thanks! By the way, I have messages from both Ingram and Kells for you. They both want to see you."

Nora nodded and turned to Piper.

"Do you want to come with me?"

Piper shook her head.

"Not this time. I'll take Dogmeat home."

Nora nodded, gave her a kiss and a hug farewell, then turned to the dog.

"Dogmeat, go with Piper. Guard Piper."

Dogmeat cocked his head to the side, perked his ears up and boofed in response. Nora gave Piper another quick kiss, then headed up to the vertibird pad on the roof. She found Ingram overseeing the building of a gantry outside the terminal building. 

"Ah, there you are." She noticed Nora's frequent glances at the gantry and smiled. "Yes, this is what I wanted to talk to you about. Maxson and Kells have been looking for something that'll tip the balance when we go toe to toe with the Institute. The Prydwen might be a big beast, but she's not built for fighting. That's where our new project comes in." She beckoned to Nora and headed into the terminal building, to a locked door, which she opened via a terminal. "This storage bay full of parts is what's left of Liberty Prime."

Nora's eyes widened.

"I heard rumors about him when I was deployed. They were planning on using him to liberate Anchorage, but they didn't get him finished in time, or something. How did you get him?"

"The Brotherhood found him over a decade ago in the Capital Wasteland. We used it there as a weapon against the Enclave. Unfortunately, Liberty Prime was destroyed in the line of duty." She sighed. "I've spent the better part of the last few years piecing him back together. And if you think that was easy, try rebuilding a protectron while you're blindfolded. Now, the good news is that we've got most of Prime's parts fully assembled." She grimaced. "The bad news is that it's going to take more than a few rivets and some spot welding to get them working again. The first problem is his CPU. It's fragile, and every time we try to feed power to it, it blows itself out."

"Have you figured out why?"

"Liberty Prime has a highly complex power system. A good deal of that system was damaged when he exploded, so I'm working in the dark trying to come up with parts on my own. Luckily, you were able to convince Doctor Madison Li to return to the Brotherhood. She was on the original build team for Liberty Prime a little over a decade ago." She made a face. "I've already talked to her, but she's reluctant to work on Prime for some reason. You were able to convince her to leave the Institute. I'd like you to talk to her and try to get her down here to lend a hand with his power system so we can get the big guy moving."

Nora nodded.

"I'll do my best, Proctor."

"Good. Off you go then."

On-board the Prydwen, Nora stepped into the bridge to see Captain Kells first. The captain informed her that inventory reports were showing missing food shipments, and ordered her to look into the matter with Knight-Sergeant Gavil, the head of the logistics division and determine whether it was a clerical error or if someone was stealing stores.

She found Doctor Li in one of the labs. She leaned against the counter next to her and spoke softly.

"Was Liberty Prime the project you referred to?"

The scientist nodded.

"I've been down this road with the Brotherhood before. I don't want to make the same mistake twice."

Nora nodded.

"I can see why you were reluctant to return to work on it. The amount of damage that thing could do just getting from here to the Institute is unimaginable." She crossed her arms and looked thoughtfully at Doctor Li. "Look, I care what happens to the Commonwealth as much as you do, and I don't want this thing finished any more than you do, but we can't outright refuse to help. If you'll go down there and work with Ingram, I promise you I'll do everything I can to stall. And I'll do my best to make sure we never need to use it. Deal?"

Doctor Li gave her a hard look.

"You know, if anyone else wearing a Brotherhood of Steel uniform said something like that I'd laugh in their face. But coming from you, it sounds like you actually mean it. Tell Proctor Ingram to get her scribes ready."


	73. Duty or Dishonor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroines do some detective work.

It was nearly dusk when Nora made her report to Proctor Ingram, and she decided to head home, and tackle Kells' assignment the next day. It was past midnight when she entered Diamond City, the marketplace peppered with insomniacs and night owls, Percy the robot calling out to passers-by from Myrna's stall. She slipped into Home Plate and peeked into Nat's room. She smiled when she found the little girl curled up with Dogmeat. The dog lifted his head when the door opened and thumped his tail. Nora tiptoed over, rubbed his ears and dropped a soft kiss on Nat's head before tiptoeing back out. 

As she slid Nat's door closed, she heard Cait and Curie's door open, and saw Cait emerge holding a baseball bat, with Curie close behind.

"It's me," she whispered.

Curie sighed in relief, and Cait lowered the bat. 

"Didn't think ye'd be back tonight."

"Didn't feel like sleeping on the Prydwen. It's too loud. Sorry I woke you."

"Nah, we weren't asleep yet. Night."

"Good night, Nora."

"Night."

She stepped into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, pulled off her boots and headed up to her and Piper's room. As she reached under her pillow for the oversized t-shirt she slept in, she heard Piper shift and her bedside lamp switched on.

"You're back!"

"I have to go back tomorrow, but I didn't want to spend the night there." Nora quickly changed into the t-shirt, unbuckled her pip boy and put it on the night stand, and slipped in to bed next to Piper.

"Did you know that Dogmeat's sleeping on Nat's bed?"

Piper laughed quietly.

"She insisted. Vociferously. I don't think I've ever seen a dog look smug before." She switched off the lamp and rolled on her side facing Nora. "Do you mind?"

Nora smiled, put an arm around Piper's shoulders and pulled her close.

"Not even a little. I'm glad he took to her." 

Piper settled against Nora's side. 

"So what did they want from you?"

"Ingram wanted me to convince Madison to help them rebuild a giant robot."

Piper raised herself up on an elbow and gave Nora a horrified look.

"A what?"

"You heard me. A giant robot. Pre-war monstrosity that the military intended to use in Anchorage, and the Brotherhood found a few years ago and used in the Capital Wasteland. Apparently, Madison helped them get it working last time, and they're having trouble finishing the rebuild without her. It's the reason they wanted me to recruit her."

"And did you? Convince her, I mean?"

Nora sighed.

"I convinced her to pretend. That thing's not exactly a precision instrument. If they get it working again, it'll do untold damage, and from what I've seen of them, the Brotherhood will just call it collateral damage or necessary casualties. We're going to slow things down as much as possible between us."

Piper settled against Nora's shoulder again and leaned up to press a kiss against her jaw.

"Good. What about Kells?"

"He wants me to investigate some missing food stores. D'you want to come with me?"

"Sure, sounds fun," she mumbled sleepily.

\+ + +

Nora and Piper stopped off at Hangman's Alley on their way to the airport and Nora searched through her loot until she found a Field Scribe's uniform that fit Piper. She herself was already wearing a set of Brotherhood fatigues she had purchased from Proctor Teagan. They had decided the investigation would go more smoothly if Nora were in uniform, and if Piper could fade into the background.

Vicky stood to one side, looking through a chest full of armor curiously.

"Where'd you get all this stuff?"

Nora glanced over at her sister and shrugged.

"Dead bodies, mostly. Raiders and gunners that attack the settlements, or that attack us when we're traveling.The Brotherhood and Institute gear is from patrols that ran into more trouble than they could handle." Piper gulped and looked down at the uniform she'd just finished putting on with distaste. Nora smiled at her. "Don't worry, Pipes, it's been cleaned since then."

\+ + +

Knight-Sergeant Gavil, the middle-aged career soldier who was in charge of the logistics division, barely glanced at Piper, who stood next to Nora taking notes on their conversation. Gavil was _not_ pleased to see Nora. He insisted that security on the base was too tight for an outsider to be coming in to steal the supplies, and his own people too trustworthy to be taking them, that there had, in fact, been no thefts, merely a clerical error. He resented her investigation, but, since it had ben directly assigned to her by Lancer Captain Kells, begrudgingly pointed her to the two newest members of his team, Knight Lucia and Initiate Clarke, if she insisted on questioning somebody.

"Where is your team quartered, Knight-Sergeant?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"The same place you are, I would imagine." 

"In the barracks room on the Prydwen?"

He looked surprised.

"No, in the new barracks here on the base. You should have been reassigned. Had you not been informed?"

She shook her head.

"All officers who did not have private quarters on the Prydwen have been assigned a room in the barracks. And all enlisted soldiers who work primarily down here on the base have been assigned to the dormitory. There should be a label with your name outside the room you've been assigned. Now, if you'll take my advice, you'll poke around a little, then tell the Captain to let it go. It's not worth your time, or mine."

He handed her a list of the names of his team members. Nora saluted.

"Thank you for your time, Knight-Sergeant."

Nora noticed Piper looking at her thoughtfully as they walked away and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"You hold yourself differently when you're around these people. Sort of more stiff and formal."

Nora smiled.

"Can't help myself. It's hard to go against years of training. Two years of military service, plus several years of Junior ROTC in school? It becomes muscle memory."

Knight Lucia and Initiate Clarke had both been assigned to the logistics division a few weeks earlier. They had joined the Brotherhood at the same time, and advanced together, until their arrival in the Commonwealth. Lucia had been promoted to Knight due mainly to her performance in the battle to clear the feral ghouls out of the airport. Their stories both matched Gavil's - security was too tight for civilians to be stealing; and they couldn't imagine anyone on the team doing it.

Nora and Piper headed for the other end of the terminal, where the new barracks had been built. Out of curiosity, they first went to look for Nora's new quarters. The room was small and spartan, but it had a decent-sized cot, a locking door and a small window. Nora shrugged.

"And at least it's quiet."

They went into the dormitory and found the team's footlockers. There was nothing of interest in most of them, but in Clarke's locker they found a note from Lucia.

"Clarke, what's going on? After all we've been through, I can't believe you'd do something like this. Look, this is too much, even from you. Touch my things again, and I'm reporting you to the Captain."

There was also a key, which they discovered unlocked Lucia's footlocker. In it they found a holotape, which contained her personal journal. Nora plugged the holotape into her pip boy and they read through the most recent entries, starting with the Brotherhood's arrival in the Commonwealth. 

In several entries she expressed concern over Clarke, who had been showing up late for and missing duty shifts. His behavior seemed to be worsening over time. In her final entry she mentioned that he had been late to three shifts that week, and worried that she wouldn't be able to cover for him with Gavil for much longer. 

Piper looked at Nora as they finished reading the last entry.

"I think we need to go talk to Lucia again." 

Nora nodded.

"I don't see how this might be related to the thefts, but it's definitely odd and we should rule it out."

Confronted with the holotape, Lucia reluctantly reported that Clarke had been acting strangely since their arrival at the airport. At first she had thought that he was jealous because she had been promoted to Knight and he hadn't, but as time went on, she worried that he was just giving up. She insisted that it couldn't have anything to do with the thefts, but was worried and asked that Nora keep an eye on him, and told them when his current shift was due to end.

They still had a couple of hours, so they went back to the mess hall attached to the new barracks and had some dinner, then went back into the storage depot and set themselves up in a dark corner where they could watch Clarke without being seen. As soon as his shift ended, Clarke headed for a door at the back of the terminal. They waited until he'd gone through it, then started following. Nora peeked around the doorframe and saw a small storage room, with another door leading outside.

They found themselves behind the airport, on a narrow strip of shore between the terminal and Boston Harbor. Clarke wasn't in view, but his footprints were clearly visible in the damp sand following the rounded outer wall of the terminal. They followed quietly, and finally caught a glimpse of him as they rounded the terminal, stepping through the shell of a crashed plane. They waited for him to exit it before continuing, and as they cleared the plane themselves, saw him walk through a door in the exterior wall ahead of them. 

Once the door was closed, they dashed across the intervening space. The door opened into a dingy stairwell, at the bottom of which they saw a bank of elevators, and next to them, a blocked escalator. They were just in time to hear the elevator voice say "Going down" as the doors closed. Piper tutted in frustration.

"Have to have an ID card to use the elevator." 

Nora looked around.

"There must be another way down there. Let's try that door." She pointed down the hallway and Piper nodded. The door led to a short staircase, at the bottom of which was a hallway lined with ruined automated walkways. And feral ghouls. The place was infested. Nora and Piper stood at the top of the stairs shooting at the ghouls as they ran at them. Piper grimaced in distaste as they climbed over the pile of bodies to continue their search. 

Nora turned on the light on her pip boy and started down the corridor. About halfway along, Piper tapped her shoulder and pointed to their left.

"Anything in there?"

Nora pointed her wrist where Piper was pointing and saw a door leading to another hallway. The ceiling had collapsed just a few yards in, but lying next to the blockage, they found the ghoul-ravaged body of a Brotherhood of Steel Knight. Nora knelt next to him, removed his holotags, looked at the name, and slipped them into one of her pockets.

"Knight Rylan. His name was on the list Gavil gave us. He must have followed Clarke in here too."

Piper shook her head.

"Poor kid."

"Let's keep going."

They backtracked into the main corridor and continued down it until it turned a corner. Piper grimaced.

"Ugh, it's flooded."

Nora reached into one of the many pockets on her fatigues and pulled out a jar of Rad-x. She held one out to Piper and took one herself before wading into the cold water.

The corridor dead-ended a short way down, but they found a collapsed section of ceiling that they could use as a ramp, which led them into a parking garage infested with yet more feral ghouls. They made their way down three levels, killing ghouls as they came upon them, until they found themselves in another flooded area.

"I think this is a dead end," Piper said, looking at the water distastefully. She turned to Nora and noticed she was holding a hand to her side. "Let me see." She pulled Nora's hand away and saw a nasty scratch on her stomach where her jacket had ridden up, leaving her exposed to a ghoul's sharp nails. "It's not deep, but we'd better get it cleaned up if we don't want it to get infected." She pushed Nora back against one of the old cars and helped her sit on the hood. She pulled out a clean rag and a can of purified water and cleaned the wound, then smeared on an ointment Curie had developed to guard against infection and bandaged the area.

"Thanks, Pipes." Nora tucked her shirt back in and pulled her jacket down securely. "I saw some doors that looked like stairwells back in that corner," she pointed, "we should try there, because I don't want to go for a swim either."

They headed back the way they'd come and found that, in addition to the stairwell, on that level, the garage had access to a subway station. Filled with even more feral ghouls. Once again, they arrayed themselves at the top of the stairs and let the ghouls come to them. When silence fell, Nora shouted a couple of times, and they heard more guttural growls and pattering feet coming down the tracks. They dealt with this second wave in the same way, before making their way down to the platform. 

They only had one way to go, since the tracks were blocked on one side, so they slipped along the tracks, next to a couple of derailed cars to the next platform, where they found a door that led into the baggage claim area. And more ghouls.

"I hate feral ghouls," Piper said plaintively as the final one in this area fell.

Nora rubbed her back consolingly.

"Me too."

The only unblocked exit out of baggage claim was a small stairwell that led down to the baggage-handling track. Through a window in this corridor, they could see the generator room, and more ghouls. They could also hear Clarke's voice talking gently to them. They listened for a few moments.

"There, that's not too bad, is it? Hang on, let me get you some more."

Nora started down the corridor towards a break in the wall of the office where Clarke was. He had placed can chimes in the opening and turned, startled when they jangled.

"Who's there?" Nora walked around the corner to confront him. "You! What are you doing here?"

Nora raised an eyebrow.

"Following you, and investigating the missing supplies." She gestured to the crates littering the room. "Looks like we found them."

He sighed. 

"Someone was bound to catch me eventually. I can't keep this up forever."

Nora shook her head.

"You've been feeding all this stolen food to ferals?" He nodded. "This doesn't make sense. Why would you do this?"

He looked down.

"I had a friend who was a ghoul once. But the Brotherhood... the Brotherhood says ghouls are abominations. That they all deserve to die. When we arrived here, our first job was to clear out the ferals in the terminal, and we just kept going, even after they started running away. All I could see was my friend's face. He was as human as you or me. Would you kill him too? Just because of who he is?"

"Not if he wasn't feral."

"What difference does it make? Weren't they all human once?"

"They were. But the ferals are little more than vicious animals now. Here." She reached into her pocket, pulled out Knight Rylan's holotags and held them out to Clarke. "We found him on our way down here."

He took the tags and his shoulders sagged in defeat as he read the name.

"Knight Rylan. He worked in the terminal with me." He wiped a hand roughly across his eyes. "They killed him, didn't they?" Nora nodded. "And as long as they're here, more Knights are going to die. I... I can't be responsible for that." He looked up at her. "What are you going to do with me?"

She sighed, crossed her arms and leaned against the nearest desk, watching him.

"What do you want, Clarke? Do you still believe in the Brotherhood's other tenets, or have you lost faith with them entirely? If you still want to be a part of the Brotherhood, you should admit your mistake and turn yourself in. If you want to leave, I'll follow Gavil's advice and tell Captain Kells it was just a clerical error and there weren't actually any thefts. But the rest of these ferals are going to have to be dealt with either way."

He nodded. 

"I... I think I'm done with the Brotherhood. It's just too much."

"I know you're not originally from this area, but if you plan on staying around, try one of the Minutemen allied settlements. The nearest one is Finch Farm a little ways north of here." She opened the map on her pip boy and showed him the location. "If you can get there, and tell them I sent you, they'll help you get farther away where you'll be safe from the Brotherhood." She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "You might consider joining the Minutemen too, if you still want to do good. We just want to protect people, human, ghoul or synth."

He blinked at that, but nodded.

"Who do I tell them sent me, Knight?"

"Tell them the General sent you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mod referenced: Hangman's Alley Interior Apartments


	74. A Visit From A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our heroine becomes a mentor and a friend comes to visit.

Before he left, Clarke gave Nora a spare ID card. They would need it to get into the generator room to clear out the last of the feral ghouls, and it would also allow them to take the elevator back to the surface instead of having to crawl back through the whole building again. 

The ghouls in the generator room were stronger than the others they had run across that day, evidence, perhaps, of Clarke's generosity with the food supplies. By the time they finished clearing them out, both Piper and Nora were scratched, bruised and bleeding. They took a few minutes to patch each other up before heading back to the surface.

By the time they made it back to the base, it was past midnight. They made their way to Nora's new quarters and collapsed into the cot, too tired to do more than remove their outer garments. First thing the next morning, Nora took the vertibird transport up to the Prydwen and made her report to the Captain.

"I wasn't able to find any evidence of theft, Captain. The reports were wrong."

Kells frowned.

"That's what Sergeant Gavil said. Hmm. Very well. I'll have Teagan keep a closer watch on his men. These mistakes are a waste of everyone's time. We'll consider this matter closed. Good work, Knight. You have real potential as an investigator."

"Thank you, sir. I have some prior experience."

"I will keep you in mind if any more such assignments arise. For now, we have squires in need of training. These are young recruits in need of a good example to follow, someone to emulate. We encourage all our officers to mentor a squire for a few weeks at a time, taking them along on assignments. Would you be willing to take on one of these youngsters?"

"I… yes, sir. But, will it be a problem that I don't permanently live on base?"

"Not at all. When you sign the squire out, simply let the dormitory master know they will be off base. Any further questions?"

"No, Captain."

"Dismissed."

Nora saluted and returned to the barracks. Piper noticed her disgruntled look immediately.

"What happened? Didn't he believe you?"

"Huh? Oh, no, that went fine. He assigned me a squire to mentor for the next couple of weeks." She sighed and rubbed her face. "Looks like we're adopting a kid for the next fortnight, and I'll have to be on hiatus from…" she looked around and lowered her voice, "our friends in the crypt."

"Wait, so this kid is just going to follow you around for two weeks?"

Nora shrugged.

"Apparently. I have to go sign one out with their trainer. I'll be right back. We'll head home as soon as I get them."

Piper sat on the cot and made sure she had all her things packed up. Nora returned with the squire, a girl of about twelve, in tow.

"Piper, this is Squire Adler. Adler, this is my girlfriend, Piper."

"Ma'am!"

Piper winced, both at the word and at the volume. 

"Um… I'm not in the Brotherhood. You can just call me Piper."

The girl glanced at Nora, who nodded.

"Yes, ma'am, Piper."

Piper bit her lip to stop from laughing.

"All right, Adler. First things first, we're taking the troop transport to the Cambridge Police Station to get our assignments from Scribe Haylen and Knight Rhys. And before we head out on assignment, I want to do a bit of weapons training, see how far along you are."

The girl's eyes brightened. 

"Live fire, ma'am?"

Nora shrugged.

"I don't have training rounds, so yes."

The girl was practically bouncing with excitement. 

"Yes, ma'am!"

\+ + +

Adler asked an unending stream of questions during the vertibird ride to the police station and during the walk to Diamond City. She had been born in the Capital Wasteland, and had, so far, seen very little of the Commonwealth up close, and was a very curious child.

She finally fell silent when they entered Diamond City. Except for a whispered, "It's even bigger than Megaton!" she simply looked around wide-eyed.

Nora led the way into Home Plate, and stopped short with a gasp a few steps inside, pushing Piper and Adler behind her. Piper leaned over her shoulder to see what had startled her and saw a dark-haired, broad-shouldered man in a white tunic with blue highlights sitting on their couch.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"

Nora's voice was harsh and angry. The man stood with his hands outstretched in a gesture of appeasement.

"Your friend let me in, the young redhead?" Nora frowned and cocked her head. "I'm not surprised you don't recognize me. I looked very different the last time you saw me in the Glowing Sea."

Nora took a sharp breath.

"Virgil?"

He smiled and nodded. Nora laughed, stepped towards him, then hesitated and looked back at Adler. 

"Just a minute. Adler, this way." She led the girl to Nat's room, knocked, and when Nat answered, opened the door, introduced the two girls and asked Nat to give Adler a tour of Diamond City. Once they left the house, she returned to Virgil and Piper. 

"The kid is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel. I don't know that she'll report anything she hears us talk about, but it's probably a good idea to avoid any subjects you wouldn't want their leadership to know about while she's around." Virgil nodded. Nora shook his hand and smiled. "I guess your serum worked. Sit, sit." She gestured to the sofa where he had been sitting before and held a hand out to Piper. "This is my girlfriend, Piper. Piper, this is Dr Brian Virgil."

Nora sat on one of the armchairs, and Piper perched on the arm of it next to her, smiling at Virgil.

"I must say, her descriptions of you don't do you justice."

That produced a laugh. 

"Yes, the serum proved to be a qualified success."

Nora blinked. 

"This is a _qualified_ success?"

He shrugged deprecatingly.

"There were some unexpected side effects. I have maintained a great deal of muscle mass, and I used to be bald. Also, the treatment is only effective with the one strain I infected myself with. There are many different strains of FEV. It will take a great deal of research to create a cure that will work on all of them. But you are right, it is a good start."

"Where do you plan on going next?"

He sighed.

"I was hoping you could offer some suggestions. I am not familiar with the area."

Nora looked at him musingly.

"Well, first things first, you'll want to change out of that Institute lab coat. With the increased muscle mass and new hair growth, it's possible the Institute won't recognize you if they see you on the feeds, but that coat is a dead giveaway. As for a place to live, the Minutemen have a number of settlements they protect. The nearest is just a couple of blocks away, the further ones about a day's walk. You'd be welcome at any of them, and I'd be glad to help you gather the materials you'd need to set up a lab so you can continue your research. If you'd also be willing to serve as the settlement's physician, the other settlers would welcome you with open arms."

The girls returned around this time, and Piper sent them back out to buy enough bowls of noodles to feed them all. They returned laden a few minutes later and the five of them sat around the picnic table to eat.

"Where are Cait and Curie?" Piper asked Nat.

Nat shrugged.

"Out. Dunno where."

They spent most of the meal discussing the merits and downsides of the various settlements. Nora deemed Sanctuary Hills too obvious a choice. She knew, from looking at the feeds in Ayo's office that the Institute had watchers, their synth birds, watching both Sanctuary Hills and the entrance to the Vault. Several other settlements were ruled out because they already had medics. They finally settled on Covenant. The settlers had been slowly moving the walls back, expanding the protected space, and making room for new structures. It was well defended, and Nora and Piper both felt that, despite his months living in a cave in the Glowing Sea, Virgil would probably be most comfortable there.


	75. The Battle of Bunker Hill

"Can I come?" Nat looked pleadingly at Nora over the breakfast table.

"Isn't today a school day?"

"Please?"

Nora looked over at Piper, who was biting her lip and looking worried, gestured towards the kitchen and got up from the table. Piper followed.

"It's your decision, but she should learn how to defend herself at some point." 

Piper sighed and looked down.

"I always intended to teach her how to use a weapon, but she's still so young!"

"How old were you when you started to learn?"

Piper opened her mouth to respond, then paused and blinked.

"About her age, actually." She sighed. "OK. But I don't want to make a habit of her missing school."

"Agreed. We'll stop off at the schoolhouse first and get her assignments from Mr. Zwicky, just so she won't feel like she's getting away with something." 

Piper smiled and they turned back towards the table together.

"OK, Nat, you can come with us." Nat grinned. "But you still have to do today's school assignments too." She groaned.

Nora and Piper took the two girls to Hangman’s Alley. Nora pulled out a large variety of weapons and quizzed Adler on their use and maintenance. The girl had a decent grasp on small caliber pistols and small energy weapons, but hadn’t had much training on rifles, larger weapons, or melee weapons. They spent the afternoon on the roof, where Nora rigged up a shooting gallery. Nora decided to start Nat off with a 10mm, so that Piper could work with her. She worked mostly with Adler but kept an eye on the Wright sisters and offered occasional suggestions.

Nora slipped away for a few minutes in the evening, while the girls were cleaning their weapons under Piper's watchful eye, to slip a holotape into the nearest Railroad dead drop, to let them know she would be unavailable for the next two weeks and why.

\+ + +

They escorted Virgil to Covenant the next day. As Nora had predicted the settlers were thrilled to have him, once they learned he had some medical expertise. They stayed in Covenant for a couple of days and helped him build a small weather-proof structure for his new lab. Curie had donated quite a bit of duplicate equipment from among what they had collected for her laboratory, and between that, and what he had brought with him from his cave, he'd be able to restart his research almost immediately.

Nora took on more Brotherhood of Steel assignments in the next week and a half than she had since joining them, but she also took Adler on Minutemen patrols, so she could meet regular people and see different perspectives than the one taught to her by the Brotherhood.

They took Dogmeat with them on the days when Piper chose to stay behind, and Nora was slowly training him to be stealthy. Now that she could rely on him not to go dashing off into danger, Nora was starting to rely more and more on his keen senses to warn her of danger ahead.

At the end of the two weeks, she thought Adler might be sadder to say goodbye to Dogmeat than to her, and she promised to bring him by the base occasionally to visit.

\+ + +

Nora had collected a fair number of weapons during the Brotherhood missions of the previous two weeks, and she decided it was time to drop off another packet for Z1 and his growing synth army.

She stopped off in several of the departments to report on assignments she had taken on for them, and as she left Bioscience, was approached by a Gen 2 synth.

"Father would like to speak to you, ma'am."

Nora nodded.

"Is he in his quarters?"

"He is."

"Thank you. I'll head up there now."

She found Shaun lying in a pod-like bed, looking pale and tired. He smiled wanly at her.

"I apologize for not standing to greet you, mother. It's been a bad day."

She put a hand tentatively on his arm.

"I'm sorry, Shaun. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not with this, but there is a task I had hoped you would help with." He paused for a moment. "What would you do if someone stole from you?"

Nora laughed bitterly and withdrew her hand.

"After everything I went through to find you? I think you already know."

He nodded slowly.

"Yes. I'm sorry, mother. Of course, you're right. The group that calls themselves The Railroad has acquired several synths from the Institute, synths that had gone missing in recent months. They no doubt mean to 'free' these synths, in their delusion that synths are somehow sentient beings. You've been in contact with the Railroad, so you're aware of their misguided beliefs."

Nora shifted uncomfortably, and did her best to maintain a blank expression.

"They mean well. They're only doing what they think is right."

Shaun frowned.

"You dealt with Libertalia. That's the result of their selfish, short-sighted plan. Usually they are a minor nuisance, but lately they have become more emboldened. I'm afraid we've reached a point where a response is necessary. We have learned the current location of these synths, and need to re-acquire them before the Railroad can hid them."

"Where are they?"

"A small settlement at the old Bunker Hill monument. Are you familiar with it?"

Nora nodded.

"It's a trading hub for the Commonwealth and beyond."

"It's important that we act on this soon, before the Railroad has any indication we've tracked them. We also don't want the Brotherhood of Steel getting wind of the presence of the synths. That would only complicate matters."

"Will it be just me, or will I have backup?"

"A courser will be waiting for you near Bunker Hill. See Justin Ayo for the exact coordinates. You'll have support should you need it, but we want to keep this small."

Nora nodded.

"I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, mother."

\+ + +

Nora paused in the ruins of CIT. She needed to inform Desdemona that the Institute knew about Bunker Hill, and she needed to inform Kessler, the leader of the Bunker Hill settlement of the upcoming attack, so she could protect her people.

She had just over a day to make her plans. Justin Ayo had told her the courser would be waiting for her at sundown the next day, so she had to work quickly.

She made a quick decision and headed for Railroad Headquarters first. Desdemona was standing by the map table in the middle of the crypt, debriefing a couple of agents Nora hadn't met yet. She caught Dez's eye to let her know she needed to speak with her, then went to see if Tom had any new useful goodies.

"Something on your mind?"

Nora turned from where she'd been examining some new rifle mods.

"The Institute knows about Bunker Hill." Dez drew in a sharp breath. "They're planning to recapture the synths there."

Desdemona shook her head.

"The timing couldn't be worse. The Old Man's been sitting on those four synths. There's nowhere else that's safe we could put them." She chewed her lower lip as she thought for a moment. "Maintaining your cover is vital… but this… the sacrifice is just too great."

Nora frowned.

"Stockton and the synths are depending on us. We can't just let them down!"

Desdemona gave her a tight smile.

"Well said. We can't afford to sacrifice Stockton and the synths. There are just too few of us left. And we can't relocate them without compromising your cover. We've never known when and where the Institute would strike us next. But now we have a chance to turn the tables. We wait until the enemy is in position, then we hit them. Hard. No one they send out comes back alive… except you. Understand? It's a risk, but one we have to take."

Nora nodded.

"I'll take care of it."

When Nora entered Home Plate, she found her little family seated around the picnic table eating dinner. She patted Cait’s and Curie’s shoulders as she passed them, dropped a kiss on the top of Nat’s head, kissed Piper and headed up the stairs.

Piper watched her for a moment before excusing herself and following. Nora was sitting on the edge of the bed with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Piper sat next to her and put a hand on her back.

"What happened, Blue?"

Nora rubbed her face, clasped her hands and rested her chin on them. She glanced sideways at Piper before answering.

"The Institute knows about Stockton and Bunker Hill. Shaun sent me to recover four synths Stockton has there right now."

Piper's eyes widened.

"What are you going to do?"

She sighed.

"I'm going to kill the Courser Shaun's sending along and any Gen 1s or 2s he sends in for backup so that Stockton can get the synths to safety."

"Does the Railroad know?"

"Yeah, I stopped there first and told Dez."

"When do we leave?"

Nora sat up slowly.

"I would prefer it if you didn't come." She put a hand on Piper's cheek. "This may turn into a war zone."

Piper leaned against Nora's hand and covered it with her own.

"No arguments, Blue, I'm coming with you. If you're fighting a Courser, you'll need backup. When do we leave?"

Nora hesitated, nodded and looked away.

"I'm supposed to meet the Courser tomorrow at sundown."

\+ + +

Nora reached over to the bedside table for her pip boy and checked the time. Six AM. Good. Should be just about getting light. She gently extricated herself from Piper's arms, grabbed some clothes and her boots and tip toed out of the room, careful not to wake her.

She dressed quickly in the bathroom, slipped out of the house and the stadium and made her way north across the Charles River towards Bunker Hill. She paused when she came within a few blocks of the monument and pulled on a gas mask. While in Justin Ayo's office, she had noticed Bunker Hill among the locations being watched by the synth birds, and she didn't want to be recognized. She changed her gait slightly when she started off again, as a further step towards not being recognized.

The settlement was just starting to stir when she arrived, and she found Kessler on the steps of her little shack. 

"It's Nora. Can we talk inside?"

The older woman looked at her in surprise, but nodded and led the way into the shack. Once around the corner where the birds couldn't see her, she pulled off the mask. She hesitated a moment.

"Do... do you have a geiger counter?"

Kessler blinked in shock, but nodded.

"Mine's in the shop."

"Thank goodness. This would have been a lot harder to explain otherwise. The Institute is planning an attack on your settlement tonight. I can't stop it. I'm supposed to be under cover. It'll be all I can do to save the four in the basement, but I wanted you to know so you could protect your people when it starts. Get them to safety before it starts, or get everyone up to the top of the monument, or whatever else you can think of. Just keep them safe."

Kessler looked at her wide-eyed.

"Thanks for the warning."

Nora nodded, pulled the mask back on and left the shack.

She was halfway back across the bridge over the Charles when she heard them, super mutants, and with the wind at her back, the hound with them had already noticed her and was belling a warning. She dropped down behind one of the abandoned cars and pulled her rifle off her back, feeling a stab of panic when she heard the beeping of a suicider.

She peeked out from behind the car looking frantically for the flashing red of the suicider's mini nuke. There! She raised the rifle, looked down the scope and, aiming for the head, took the shot, just as the super mutant leapt over a car. She had a couple of milliseconds to process the fact that her shot was going to hit the nuke and not the super mutant before the blast wave hit her, slammed her against the guard rail and over the bridge into the Charles.

There were flashes of light above her, muffled crashes and debris falling around her. She pulled frantically towards the surface, ignoring the stabbing pains in her ribs where she had hit the guard rail. She took a ragged breath when her head broke the surface, and started dog paddling towards the shore. She dragged herself out of the water and collapsed against one of the bridge pylons, listening to the continuing explosions. It appeared that the mini nuke blast had set off a chain reaction in the cars that littered the bridge.

She shrugged off her pack, wincing in pain, pulled out her medical kit, grabbed a stimpak and stabbed it into her side. She collapsed against the pack, whimpering a little with each breath.

\+ + +

Piper was worried. She hadn't thought much of it when she'd woken up alone, but when she'd found that Nora wasn't anywhere to be found in Diamond City, a little nagging doubt had entered her mind, a doubt that had grown as the hours passed with no sign of her. She found herself thinking back to the night before, Nora's insistence that she not accompany her to Bunker Hill and her hesitation before telling her when the attack would take place.

She was out in the marketplace haggling amicably with Polly over some cuts of meat, when she caught sight of a familiar shape out of the corner of her eye. She dumped a handful of caps in front of a surprised Polly, waited impatiently while the older woman wrapped up the meat, and hurried back to Home Plate, in time to see Nora disappearing up the stairs.

"Where have you been?" 

Nora stopped, turned and took a few slow steps back down. Piper gasped when she saw the bruises on Nora's face, the split lip, the rips in her clothes, the damp, muddy hair. She rushed across the room to her, her face a conflict of emotions, concern, shock, anger.

"It's not what it looks like."

"Really? Because it looks like you lied to me and went to Bunker Hill without me."

"I didn't lie."

"Then where have you been?"

Nora looked down.

"Bunker Hill."

Piper took a step back, a look of betrayal on her face. She turned away, and Nora reached out a hand to stop her, grunting in pain and pulling the hand back before she could catch her.

"Piper, please wait. I didn't lie."

Piper stopped but didn't turn around, not wanting Nora to see the angry tears she was trying to blink away.

"The attack is tonight. I went to warn Kessler so she could keep her people safe."

Piper turned.

"Really?"

Nora nodded. Piper took the couple of steps back towards her and touched a gentle finger to Nora's split lip.

"So what happened?"

"I ran into some super mutants on the way back. There was a suicider and a chain reaction with all the cars on the bridge."

Piper's eyes widened and she pulled Nora into a tight hug. Nora let out a strangled groan.

"Piper, let go. Cracked ribs."

Piper pulled back abruptly.

"Sorry! Why are you all damp?"

"I ended up in the river."

Piper shook her head.

"Come on, Blue. Let's get you cleaned up."

She took Nora by the arm and led her towards the bathroom. She lowered the toilet seat cover and gently pushed Nora to a seat on it, kneeling in front of her to remove her boots and leg armor, before moving on to the rest of the armor and her damp clothes. She hissed when she removed the shirt and could see the extent of the bruising on her torso. As she examined it, she noticed the bruises were already turning green along the edges.

"Did you already use a stimpak?"

"Yes."

Piper stood and turned on the shower. She turned back and helped Nora to her feet.

"Can you manage while I go get you some dry clothes?"

Nora nodded, eyes closed, head under the spray, muddy water dripping down her face and body. She returned to find her hugging her ribs with one hand while reaching up to rinse her hair with the other.

"Let me?"

She helped her finish getting clean, wrapped her in a bathrobe and sat her on the toilet seat again to help her dry her hair. 

"Why did you go without me, Blue?"

Nora winced at the pain she could hear in Piper's voice and leaned against her.

"The Institute's watching Bunker Hill." She reached up and took one of Piper's hands. "Shaun knows who you are and what you mean to me. I assume others there do too. I needed to get in and out undetected, and I didn't want them to recognize you and put you in more danger."

Piper sighed, leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"I wish you'd told me where you were going. I was worried."

"I'm sorry. I make stupid decisions when I'm worried."

Piper helped Nora stand and gave her a gentle kiss. 

"You need to lie down and let that stimpak finish working. I'll go get Curie so she can check you over too."

Nora woke up famished around mid-afternoon. Curie had given her a second stimpak and a pain reliever, and now she really needed to replace the energy the stimpaks had used to heal her. She got up slowly, one hand to her side, but found that, beyond a slight soreness, her cracked ribs seemed to be nearly completely healed. 

She dressed quickly and headed down the stairs. Piper looked up from her seat on the couch and got up when she saw her coming down. 

"Feeling better?" She took Nora's chin in her hand and turned her face into the light, brushing a finger across the new nearly healed scar on her lips, then lifted her shirt to examine the fading green and yellow bruises on her torso. Nora felt herself blush under the scrutiny. She cleared her throat.

"Yeah. Hungry, though."

"Good. Since you're feeling better…" Piper smacked her arm lightly.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"For going off on your own."

Nora raised an eyebrow.

"Were you not on your own the day I met you?"

Piper glanced away and bit her lip, trying not to smile. 

"So not fair, using my own past actions against me."

Nora grinned and slipped her arms around Piper's waist.

"All's fair in love and war."

They pulled apart as they heard the front door open and Cait and Curie entered. Curie smiled brightly at Nora.

"You are up. Very good. Are you feeling improved?"

Nora smiled.

"Yes, much."

"Excellent. Do not forget to have a good meal and plenty to drink to replenish the resources the stimpaks used to heal you."

"That's just what we were about to do," Piper said.

Curie nodded in satisfaction.

\+ + +

They left for Bunker Hill a couple of hours before sundown, stopping at Hangman's Alley to outfit Piper with a full set of combat armor, in addition to the ballistic weave lining they had added to her trench coat.

They made their way to the coordinates Justin Ayo had given Nora and found X4-18, the Courser that had been sent as her backup. He looked up impatiently.

"I've been waiting for you."

Nora raised an eyebrow but didn't respond to his comment.

"I was told you'd have the recall codes for me."

He looked past her at Piper.

"Who is that?"

"None of your business. The codes?"

He gave her a hard look, but when she didn't back down, nodded and handed her a slip of paper with the codes written on it. 

"The four synths are in the basement. You will use the codes and I will relay out with them." He looked up suddenly. "It appears the situation has... escalated."

Nora suddenly realized she had been hearing an approaching vertibird for some time. She motioned Piper and X4 to stay where they were and returned to the mouth of the alley, peeking around the corner towards the settlement. As she watched, the vertibird alighted on the far side, and she started hearing gunfire. She returned to the other two shaking her head.

"What the hell is the Brotherhood doing here?"

X4 frowned.

"The mission's parameters have changed. We go in shooting. Requesting backup relay now."

He started down the alley, but Nora held up a hand.

"Hold position."

He turned with a scowl, but didn't continue. Nora dug in her pack and pulled out two small devices. She clipped one to Piper's belt and one to her own.

"Stealth boy," she explained to Piper. "It doesn't last very long, but it should let us get to the hatch before it runs out. Power switch is here." She touched it lightly. "Flip it on my mark. And since we won't be able to see each other, hold my hand. I don't want to lose you." She turned back to X4. "I'll take point. You watch our six."

He nodded reluctantly and waited for Nora to lead the way out of the alley. Nora could see that Kessler had blocked the main gate, so she continued down the alley to the next street before turning towards the monument, heading for the side gate. She stopped at the corner and turned to look at Piper and X4. 

"On three. And as soon as we flip the switch, we run for the hatch. We're here for the synths, not to engage. Understood?" She directed this last to X4, who had pulled a Stealth boy of his own out of his pocket. He nodded reluctantly and waited for her count.

"One. Two. Three!" They flipped on the stealth fields and dashed into the settlement, trying to stay out of the line of fire of the Brotherhood soldiers, Institute Gen 1 synths and Railroad Heavies doing battle all around them. Nora was pleased that she didn't see any settlers or traders around. Kessler had taken her at her word and hidden her people away.

Nora held Piper's hand tightly as they ran into the main building and behind the nearest counter that hid the hatch down to the basement. They saw it open as they got within a few feet of it. X4 had reached it before them. 

Nora let go of Piper's hand.

"Go," she whispered.

She waited until she heard Piper whisper, "I'm in," before clambering down the ladder herself, pulling the hatch closed behind her. Once on the ground, she flipped off the stealth field, and saw Piper and X4 blink into sight next to her as they followed her lead. 

They found themselves in a utility tunnel, and they could hear gunfire ahead. Nora took the lead again, walking slowly down the tunnel until she reached the corner, flattening herself against the wall to look around before continuing down.

After a couple of turns, they found themselves at the entrance to a large chamber with catwalks leading up to a higher level. The place was swarming with soldiers from all three factions. Nora pulled back into the tunnel and held her hand out to Piper.

"Stealth field again. One. Two. Three."

They made it through the room and up the catwalk before their Stealth boys died. The nearest Railroad heavy blinked in surprise as they suddenly appeared in front of him. He raised his weapon, seemed to recognize her and Piper and turned on X4. Nora dragged Piper along past him and around the next corner. They kept going until they found themselves in the small room where the four runaway synths were hiding. They gave her a panicked look.

"Please don't hurt us! We don't want to go back."

Nora glanced up the hallway, but there was still no sign of X4.

"I'm not going to hurt you. You're free to go."

They glanced at each other in surprise.

"We are?"

Nora shrugged. 

"If we all survive this, yeah. Piper, get them back behind that counter, would you?" She gestured towards the far end of the room. Piper nodded and started herding the frightened synths in that direction. "Take cover. This isn't over yet." 

She turned towards the tunnel again to see a bruised and battered X4 approaching. She winced inwardly. The fact that he was still alive, surely meant that the Railroad agent they had passed was not.

"They're not here."

He frowned and entered the room, looking around. As he passed her, she took advantage of his distraction and drew a combat knife from her belt, grabbed his head and drew the blade across his neck, holding him tightly until he stopped struggling. She dropped the body and the knife, breathing raggedly.

"It's done."

Piper stood, glanced at the body then at Nora's pale face, walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. Nora buried her face against Piper's neck. She pulled away after a few moments and walked back to the counter. The four synths had stood when Piper did, but were still cowering behind its meager shelter.

"That was the only Courser they sent, but there are still some Gen 1s out there, so stay here until someone from the Railroad comes to get you. OK?" 

They nodded. She turned back retrieved her knife, cleaning it off on the Courser's trouser legs, took Piper's hand and headed back down the tunnel. They did find the body of the Heavy they had passed, but the rest of the Railroad agents in the large chamber had been more successful. Many of them sported energy weapon burns, but they had prevailed against the Brotherhood and Institute forces.

Nora stopped when they reached the ladder back to the surface, took off her pack, pulled out two more Stealth boys and handed one to Piper, who swapped it for the depleted one on her belt. She climbed up the ladder and crouched behind the counter until Nora joined her. Once she had the hatch shut, Nora held out her hand, counted to three and they slipped quietly out of the settlement, leaving the remaining Railroad heavies with the job of mopping up the few remaining synths and Brotherhood soldiers.


End file.
